


At Dusk, I Will Think of You

by LunaDiviners



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Video Game World, Anal Fingering, Blow Jobs, Bottom Louis, Forehead Kisses, Friends to Lovers, Gentle Kissing, Keyblade, Keyblade Wielders - Freeform, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Pining, Public Sex, Sad Ending, Sort of????, Top Harry, Unhappy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-11 09:00:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 28,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10461015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaDiviners/pseuds/LunaDiviners
Summary: Harry didn’t question him; he didn’t think he’d need to, if he was completely honest with himself. Because in this moment, it seemed as if everything was finally falling into place. Like all the worlds in the sky had aligned themselves just for them. Just for Louis and Harry. And as the two boys continued to stand underneath the stars, Harry truly believed that this was what it all came down to. That he no longer needed to search for his destiny, because he had already found it.And it was Louis. Louis was his destiny.or, a Kingdom Hearts AU in which Harry realizes that his light is no match for Louis' darkness.





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I've been working on this piece of work for a while now. Growing up, I've loved video games and one day I ended up coming up with an idea for a "Kingdom Hearts" AU. I really liked where my ideas took me while writing this and I really hope you enjoy it too!
> 
> In this story, Harry and Louis are Keyblade wielders that are about to take their Mark of Mastery exam. I used a lot of elements from the Kingdom Hearts series and tried to explain them to the best of my ability. There are specific terms that I included links to for visual reference as well as textual reference from the series if you'd like to read more about them.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy the story and please feel free to comment!

**_“He has persuaded himself that light is the only way, but forgets that light cannot exist without shadow. I believe a balance of light and darkness is what sustains our World, but too much of the darkness has been stamped out, disrupting that balance. Someone must tear down this tyranny of light and reorganize the World around the darkness which then creeps back in.”_ **

 

**** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****

**Part I**

 

Harry’s fingers trembled as he stitched the delicate pieces of stained glass together, as he hoped he wouldn’t accidentally cut himself with one of the sharp pieces. While he was aware that the pieces of stained glass were surrounded by a silver frame, Harry remained anxious with the possibility of slicing himself.

He had to make sure the charm didn’t accidentally move or ruin it’s shape, as the segments of glass were lightweight and easy to move around. Thalassa shells would have been easier to use, as they weren’t as light or fragile as the current pieces of glass. But Harry had to work with what he had.

Once the charm was finished, Harry gripped the cord around his fingers lightly, allowing himself to really look at his tiny creation. The charm itself must have been almost as large as his hand, the blue pieces of glass that had just been stitched together rotating around the cord as Harry held the charm up in the cool summer air. The five blue pieces of stained glass had been stitched together in the shape of a star, with one of the buttons Harry had found in his drawer serving as the center token.

As he held the charm up in the air Harry couldn’t help but smile. It just so happened that the color of the charm resembled one of the most beautiful sights Harry had ever had the pleasure of seeing.

Louis’ eyes.

Harry smirked to himself. He definitely did _not_ choose that color on purpose.

The soft sound of boots crunching on grass blades snapped Harry back into reality. He brought the charm down into his lap as an attempt to hide it from whoever was approaching, as well as quickly grabbing the second one he had made from his side and placing it alongside the blue charm on his lap.

“Curly!” Louis’ voice called from a few feet behind Harry.

Harry could feel his own heartbeat increasing the louder Louis’ steps became. And although Harry couldn’t actually see him at the moment, he was already aware of the light and beauty that radiated from Louis’ body.

Moving strands of his brown curls away from his eyes with his right hand, Harry turned his head slightly to the side. He could barely make out Louis’ figure from the corner of his eyes, but that didn’t stop Harry from delivering a soft smile towards the other boy.

“Hey Lou. How are you doing on this fine afternoon?”

“Not so bad,” he replied. “How about yourself?”

It wasn’t long before Louis moved to sit next to Harry, knees brushing against the other’s. Louis reciprocated Harry’s smile, a smile so large and so genuine that Harry could see the skin around Louis’ cobalt blue eyes crinkling. Harry just loved the way Louis’ eyes looked in the late afternoon; so bright and so full of light. The light from the disappearing sun hit them perfectly, like a piece of art.

“Not bad.” He was trying so hard to distract Louis from the project that was sitting right under his nose.

Before Harry could say anything else to the boy beside him, Louis had already detected the unfamiliar ornaments that were sitting on Harry’s lap. Curiosity prickled the blue of his eyes lightly, and his eyebrows arched with the emotion.

“What’s that in your lap, Haz? A new key chain to go along with that fancy Keyblade of yours?”

Harry cleared his throat and looked down at his hands, where the pads of his fingers played around with the frame of the blue charm. He bit his lip in a mix of anxiety and slight disappointment. They were supposed to be a surprise.

“They’re [Wayfinders](https://www.khwiki.com/Wayfinder). I made them for us,” Harry explained with a low voice, taking the [one](http://img06.deviantart.net/ab0f/i/2015/114/e/b/aqua_wayfinder_by_thegrilloslab-d5gqurb.jpg) made out of blue glass and handing it over to Louis. Louis took it without hesitation, the smile that was on his face not so long ago already reappearing as he studied the charm in his hand. “They’re lucky charms, shaped after a fruit from that world Liam told us about.”

Louis nodded, still smiling at the Wayfinder. “Ah, very classy. I remember Liam talking about it, actually. I thought he was being a jackass every time he mentioned 'em. Didn't think he was actually telling the truth. 'Cos like, a fruit shaped like a star? I'd never heard anything like that before."

The goofy smile Louis gave Harry afterwards caused the curly haired boy to giggle.

“Well, according to him, that fruit represents an unbreakable connection,” Harry continued, fingers grazing over the surface of his own Wayfinder. His was of an emerald green color, matching the same color of his own eyes. His breath shook as he spoke. “And as long as you and those close to you have one of these Wayfinders, nothing will ever drive you apart. You’ll always find your way back to each other, no matter what.”

At the sound of those words Louis brought his head up, meeting Harry’s eyes with his own. He looked… well, he looked sort of amazed.

“And you made one for _me_?” Louis asked, holding up and studying his Wayfinder delicately, like he’d just discovered the most precious treasure in all the worlds that surrounded them.

Harry only nodded, afraid he’ll end up saying something stupid if he actually used his voice.

“Thank you, Harry. That, uh, that means a lot to me.”

Harry smiled. “No problem. I thought that since we’ll be taking the Mark of Mastery in two days, these charms will be good reminders of each other. Uh, y’know, since we’ll end up going our separate ways and stuff.”

The [Mark of Mastery exam](https://www.khwiki.com/Mark_of_Mastery_exam) was something both Louis and Harry had been preparing for the past couple of years. The test for those chosen by the Keyblade. A test for those who were strong of heart. (Not that Harry was surprised that Louis had been one of the chosen; he had the strongest heart Harry had the pleasure of knowing.)

Passing this exam will not only grant the pair the honourable title of [Keyblade Masters](https://www.khwiki.com/Keyblade_Master), but they’ll be able to finally leave the world they had inhabited since they started training and be able to explore others. Which was something Harry had always wanted, to explore his horizons and see where his destiny lies. Maybe one day he’d end up taking on an apprentice of his own.

Louis furrowed his eyebrows slightly after Harry’s last statement. “Separate ways? Who came up with that bullshit? Who said we’ll have to split up and go our separate ways?”

“I don’t know,” Harry muttered, shrugging his shoulders in response, “I thought that was what everyone did once they became a Keyblade Master.”

Clicking his tongue, Louis replied. “Well, you can choose to leave. Which is completely fine, by the way, totally fine if it’s what you want. But that doesn’t mean we can’t leave _together_.”

Harry hoped Louis would ignore the blush that began to take over his cheeks, the skin heating up at the thought of both him and Louis leaving and visiting other worlds together. Of starting a new chapter of their lives _together_.

“Really? You wanna leave and explore new worlds with me?”

Louis nodded, puckering his lips in attempt to hide his own growing grin. “Of course. You’re my best mate, Harry. I’d love to go see other worlds with you by my side.” He then took the Wayfinder and placed it around his neck, the charm hanging securely from the cord as it adorned Louis’ torso. “And I also love the Wayfinder you made. It really is beautiful.”

Harry couldn’t bring himself to stop smiling for the rest of the afternoon.

They spent the rest of the evening talking, while simultaneously watching the sun set behind the mountains near the summit. Louis and Harry had always found themselves going to the summit for this particular reason. They loved watching the colors of the sky transform as the sun disappeared, as it brought them peace and tranquility.

They also loved watching the stars in the sky come into their sights as night fell. It amazed Harry knowing that each of those stars was a completely different world, just waiting for him to step into it and explore it. It had been years since he’d moved away from his previous world and into this new one, and although his time in the Land of Departure was one of pure adventure and new experiences, he couldn’t wait to see what else the universe had in store for him.

And to think he was only a couple of days away from it all.

Hours later Harry and Louis laid side-by-side on the grassy plains of the summit, studying the stars that led to different worlds. This was always Harry’s favourite part of the day, as his time with Louis was always peaceful, without interruption from the other wielders that resided there.

Just them and a sky full of different destinies. A variety of possibilities; a variety of futures.

“Are you nervous?” Harry asked Louis.

He had found himself resting his head on the crook of Louis’ shoulder, the ends of his soft curls positioning themselves on top of Louis’ torso. Harry could sense the way Louis’ fingers played with them, treating them as if they were completely fragile, right on the edge of deteriorating. Harry loved the comforting feeling.

“About what? The Mark of Mastery?” Harry nodded in response to Louis’ question, in which Louis then shook his head not so long afterwards. “Nope. Are you? Nervous, I mean?”

“A bit, actually,” Harry found himself telling Louis, whose fingers only tangled themselves up further in the curls of Harry’s hair. "Sometimes I question whether I’m good enough to actually become a Keyblade Master.”

“Of course you’re good enough, Haz,” Louis reassured him, bringing his hand down to briefly squeeze Harry’s shoulder comfortingly before resuming to leisure themselves in the midst of his curls. The gentle touch almost calms Harry down completely. “You’re one of the strongest people I know. In fact, if I had to choose one person in the entire universe to become a Keyblade Master, I'd choose you, Harry."

Harry beamed silently at that, a blush starting to reappear on his cheeks. “Do you really mean that?”

He could feel Louis nod next to him. “Well, clearly you're good enough for me to pick you out of _everyone else in the universe_... So yeah. I definitely mean that."

Regardless of all the lovely emotions Harry felt for Louis at that moment, he couldn’t bring himself to actually look at him. His eyes remained focused on the stars that decorated the sky. He could only imagine what kind of worlds awaited them out there.

It wasn’t very long until Harry found himself drifting into a world of sleep, his eyes beginning to ache more and more the longer he kept them open. He knew Louis could feel his breath start to balance itself as the seconds passed.

When his eyes finally closed and Harry carried himself to an atmosphere of dreams, he noiselessly took note of how Louis’ lips shortly pressed against the skin of his forehead. His lips were so fragile, so cool, so gentle.

It didn’t take an expert to know that Harry loved Louis with every single fiber of his being. That the light that radiated from Louis’ presence was what lit up Harry’s entire universe. That Harry would do anything for Louis, no matter what. This was what Harry finally admitted to himself as he slept under the blanket of stars alongside the boy he immensely adored, his hand clutching the green Wayfinder tightly against his chest.

 

 

**☆**

 

Harry discovered himself in his own bed the next morning, after the rays of sunlight that made their way through his curtains woke him up. Sitting up on his mattress, Harry confusedly looked around his bedroom. He didn’t recall returning here the previous night, as the last memories that played through his head were those of the stars and the soft touch of Louis’ lips against his head.

Louis.

Harry felt his eyes widen at the memory that replayed freshly in his mind. He let out a soft chuckle as he remembered how beautiful everything had felt the previous night. How beautiful Louis looked throughout the entire night, as he held the Wayfinder that Harry had made just for him.

The glimpse of green glass that laid on top of his bedside table immediately caught Harry’s attention. As he reached for the charm, Harry smiled to himself. His thumb brushed over the brittle material, leaving light fingerprints on the glass as his thumb moved from one piece of silver frame to the next.

Looking up from the charm and out the window for the first time that day, Harry got up from his bed. The sun had already risen by a great amount, meaning his last day of training was about to begin. Harry moved his hair away from his face and took a deep breath, placing the Wayfinder on top of his mattress.

He stepped towards his closet, searching for a clean change of clothing. He was still wearing the clothes from the previous night, which consisted of a plain black shirt and a pair of grey capri pants. The jacket he had been wearing rested on top of his desk chair; Louis must have taken his jacket off when he brought him back during the night. His pieces of armour were also located on his desk; Louis must have also placed them there.

Both Harry and Louis were requested to wear armour according to their Keyblade Master and teacher, Simon. He had said that this would help them both during their training and to prevent grave injury during any sort of confrontation. Harry had three major pieces, one that covered half of his left arm, one on his midsection, and a pair of armoured boots. Louis had similar pieces except he wore an extra glove on his left wrist.

Harry took a plain white shirt from his closet, as well as a slightly darker version of his current pair of pants. Neither Harry nor Louis had much of a variety to wear in the Land of Departure, mostly they owned simple articles of clothing that had little to no design on them. But they never made the effort to complain.

Once he was completely changed and put all pieces of armour in their proper place, Harry took hold of his Keyblade, which was hung up delicately on the wall. Balancing the weapon in his hands, Harry could hear the sound of his beating heart increase in volume.

Not that the Keyblade made Harry nervous, by any means. It was just the thought of performing the Mark of Mastery in less than a day that alarmed him. This exam was super important to Harry; he wouldn't know what he'd do if he failed.

Harry took the weapon by the handle and swung it around the room a couple of times before setting it down on the hook of his belt. The hook was large enough for the Keyblade to stay in place on Harry’s side without falling. It was incredibly convenient for him and made carrying the Keyblade around so much easier.

Just before he made his way out the door and into the summit for his last session of training before the big exam, Harry grabbed the Wayfinder that still laid on his mattress and placed it around his neck, just like Louis had done the afternoon before. However, he made sure to tuck the charm beneath his shirt so the cord wouldn’t accidentally get caught on anything. He walked out of his room seconds later.

The walk to the summit wasn’t necessarily long. The Land of Departure wasn’t too big of a world, as really only a handful of wielders, not including Harry, Louis, and Simon, actually lived there. Liam, who was one of Simon's previous students, had also lived there until he passed his Mark of Mastery exam. After that, he went off to travel to different worlds, although he had come back to visit them once in a while.

It usually took Harry about ten minutes or so to actually arrive at the summit for training, which included the time it took him to grab some sort of breakfast before leaving the building. Today was one of the days where it would take an even shorter amount of time for Harry to arrive to training; there was hardly anything satisfying at the breakfast table this morning, so all Harry grabbed today was a bagel filled with cream cheese.

Harry ate as he walked through the Forecourt (which was basically the outside entrance to Simon's building) and the mountain trails. Although he had lived years in such a simple and pure world, Harry never got tired of walking through the mountain paths. They were always so lovely to walk through and look at. Just outside the mountain trails was a small playground full of obstacles that were used for training. Harry and Louis both used to train there together before Simon decided to permanently move onto one-on-one physical battles.

It wasn’t long until Harry had finally gotten to the summit. It was a quiet area where one could just sit and reflect on their thoughts with no interruption. Harry loved it; it brought him serenity. The atmosphere here was almost identical to the one the previous night; there in the summit, it almost felt like home to Harry.

“Ah, Curly!” Harry heard a much too familiar voice call after him as he neared the end of the small area. “Look who finally decided to show up!”

Louis stood alone, swinging his Keyblade at nothing but the air molecules in front of him. His skin looked so pale this morning compared to most days, and the sunlight made Louis’ eyes glow in effect. He looked absolutely beautiful to Harry.

“Finally?” Harry repeated as he stepped closer to the beautiful boy, who stood in place as Harry got closer. “I’m not late or anything. The sun hasn’t even risen completely yet.”

But Louis only smirked at Harry, the blue in his eyes becoming brighter and brighter with every step Harry took towards him. “I know. It’s just, uh, usually you’re here before I am, so… I guess those five minutes without you here felt painfully lonesome.”

Harry chuckled, cheeks reddening faintly. Harry had no idea Louis had taken note of his punctuality. “Right.”

Both of the boys walked towards the edge of the summit. This was a little farther than where they were laying down the previous night. The far edge of the summit was surrounded by a short wall, as it’s purpose was to prevent anyone who was standing that close to the edge of the mountain from falling.

Louis crossed his arms on top of the wall, leaning against it and looking out into the open world in front of them. Harry stood next to him, his wide green eyes focused more on Louis rather than the plains or the mountains or any other part of the scenery.

“I can’t believe it’s our last day,” Louis stated, his voice soft and low. “And then after tomorrow, we’ll be off! Going to new places and meeting new people. Discovering our destinies. God, I can’t wait to experience it all.”

“Same here,” Harry replied. He quickly pulled a small, orange flower from the ground, letting it sit quietly in the palm of his hand for a few short moments. He took his Keyblade and set it on the wall before taking the stem of the flower and wrapping it around the head of the weapon. Right where the blade meets the staff. “Especially the whole bit about discovering our destinies. I can’t wait to see where my destiny takes me.”

“Great places, I’m sure.” Louis smiled, and the words fill Harry’s stomach with warmth. Louis always manages to do that somehow.

“You really think so?” He inquired, shifting his eyes between the Keyblade in his hand and Louis’ brilliant ocean eyes.

“I don’t doubt it for a second,” he replied, his voice full of confidence and assurance.

Harry let out a soft breath, his next words coming out soft and fragile. “I just can’t believe we’re both going to be Masters in twenty four hours.”

“And I still can’t believe you decorate your Keyblade,” Louis teased, index finger poking at Harry’s weapon lightly.

He huffed. “I like decorating mine, actually. It’s all about the aesthetics for me.” Louis rolled his eyes jokingly at Harry’s proclamation, causing Harry to let out a soft giggle at the gesture.

Harry’s Keyblade had all sorts of flowers adorned over it. It was whichever flowers that Harry had found over the years that he felt made his Keyblade look prettier, made it look less dangerous or fearful. Now, all sorts of flowers decorated the handle, staff, and hilt of his Keyblade. And despite the many expressions of Louis’ distaste towards the ornaments, Harry loved how they made his Keyblade [look](http://img04.deviantart.net/3a81/i/2010/323/1/7/keyblade_fatality_khii_e_bbs_2_by_claire_leonhart-d336z89.jpg).

A day of training for the two boys wasn’t necessarily exhausting for either one of them. Mostly they battled, showing off new sleights or spells they had picked up from Simon or somewhere else. Harry always ended up impressed at whatever move Louis managed to pull against him; Louis has always had such a distinctive way of thinking in comparison to Harry. That, along with the remarkable strength of his heart, already proved Louis’ ability to pass the Mark of Mastery to Harry.

Even after living together all these years, Louis and Harry have always had a competitive side to their relationship. (Which was mostly demonstrated through their training.) Ever since their mid-teenage years, it was consistently a matter of who won which battle and who proved to be more superior than the other. Their superiority was regularly balanced, never displayed unequally. This was something that Simon found intriguing.

This was why when Louis managed to successfully defeat Harry with a series of wind and fire spells, as well as a few advanced physical attacks, Harry did not grumble. Even when Louis was able to knock Harry into the ground and Simon declared Louis to be victorious in the fight, Harry did nothing but accept his defeat.

He sat up, demonstrating slight difficulty with the action, and tossed his Keyblade a few inches to his side. His right shoulder ached with the collision that his back made with the ground, but was bearable enough for him to ignore it. From where he sat, Harry could hear Simon mutter a few words to Louis, who looked proud to have been victorious in their final battle before the exam.

After having enough time to catch his breath, Harry stood up. His knees wobbled minimally, almost causing him to lose his balance completely. He picked up his Keyblade from the ground, flicking off pieces of grass that had stuck to the shaft. He never took his eyes off his Keyblade as he walked towards Louis and Simon, who were both still engaged in a hushed conversation.

“Congratulations Louis,” Harry told the boy once they stood opposite from each other, his and Simon’s discussion coming to an end. He held out his hand, waiting for Louis shake it as a sign of the end of their fight. “Looks like you won fair and square.”

Louis smirked, taking Harry’s hand in his own. As they shook hands, Harry could feel Simon’s eyes on him, causing brief feelings of tension to travel through him.

Simon had always acted like a father figure to both Louis and Harry. He had taught them things that no one else would have even come close to explain the way he did. Things about the different realms and the darkness. Why things are the way they are.

About Kingdom Hearts and what it’s meaning to the universe.

“Yep, looks like I did,” Louis said to him, squeezing Harry’s hand comfortingly before bringing it down. “I was kind of hoping I'd win, actually. Been practicing hard and all. Everything seems to be looking good for the test tomorrow, though.”

Harry nodded, agreeing with Louis. "Don't work yourself too hard though, Lou. I'm sure you'll be fantastic tomorrow."

Louis smiled at that, and Harry was silently beaming at the beautiful sight.

"Thanks Harry, I'm sure yo--"

“I am so proud of you both,” Simon’s voice cut through Louis’ abruptly. He set his hands on top of the boys’ shoulders, his grip so tight that he managed to sway Harry back and forth a few times with a single hand as he held onto him. “I can’t believe how far you two have come in your training. You two will make the best Keyblade Masters I’ve ever had the pleasure of training.”

“Thank you Simon, that means a lot coming from you,” Harry told the older man, carefully shifting his shoulder so that Simon would loosen his grip. In his hands Harry held his Keyblade, he tried hard not to break into a grin as the flower petals that were decorating it tickled the pads of his fingers.

Harry could feel Louis’ eyes roam around his face as he suppressed his smile, and he felt his cheeks begin to heat up as he talked to Simon. Sometimes (more like _all the time_ ) Harry wondered how Louis had such an effect on him. Why did he make him smile and giggle and blush all the time, even without an interaction?

“I’m just letting you both know the truth,” their teacher continued, taking his hands off his two students’ shoulders. “Also, I have arranged for my former pupil Liam to arrive tomorrow. He will be helping out with determining the exam results. I trust that you two are well prepared for tomorrow?"

"Of course we are, Simon," Harry told Simon. Louis fell silent in front of him.

“That’s what I like to hear,” he replied, a firm smile on his face. “You two will make excellent teachers one day.”

“We’re just happy that you’re proud of us,” Harry said, exchanging a smile with Louis. “It’s all we’ve ever wanted.”

Simon gave Louis a curious look, but ignored his lack of contribution to the conversation. “Then I wish you both the best of luck. Have a nice rest of the afternoon, boys.” And with that, Simon turned and walked away from the pair.

Hearing that their friend was coming back to help determine whether or not Harry and Louis would pass the Mark of Mastery caused almost all of Harry’s anxieties to disappear. Liam knew both Harry and Louis well. He knew that they were both capable of passing the exam.

Harry let out a sigh of relief. Surely he had nothing to worry about now.

But watching Simon walk away from them also made Harry realize just how close everything was to it’s end. After tomorrow, he would no longer live in the Land of Departure, which would minimize the amount of times he would be able to see Simon and the beautiful sight of the stars that the summit gave him. He would be on his own, travelling to places he’d never set foot in before, expanding his horizons in a matter that not only excited him, but also frightened him.

And while Louis’ promise still stood clear between them, Harry knew it would only be a matter of time before they split up and started their own lives, separately.

Harry hated the thought of not being with Louis, but he had to have at least some sort of realism set in his mind.

He snapped out of his thoughts once he felt the slightest touch on the top of his head. He hadn’t noticed it before, but Louis was standing right in front of him, dipping his small fingers in the waves of his curls. Harry arched an eyebrow, demonstrating his confusion to Louis.

“You have grass in your hair,” Louis explained, voice barely a whisper as he smiled at him. Harry could feel his throat dry up as Louis remained only a few centimeters away from him, clearly focused on his current task. The area was so quiet that Harry was sure Louis could hear the sound of his heartbeat cut through the silence in the air. Louis’ smile cut down to a timid one as he finished up with the last few pieces of grass that found themselves stuck in Harry’s curls, and Harry almost found himself laughing as Louis lowered himself down from the tips of his toes. “There you go.”

“Thanks,” Harry said. He ran his fingers through his hair out of instinct, eyes paying attention to the way Louis’ eyes glimmered in the daylight. “Should’ve probably put it up or something before training started.”

Louis chuckled at Harry’s comment. “Yeah, it’d probably be best if you kept your hair out of your eyes. From a professional perspective, of course. Can’t have you hurting your pretty face because of something as simple as tripping, right?"

He began to walk back, still facing Harry as he did so. With his Keyblade gripped in hand, Louis started swinging it around gently, his moves smooth as he approached the mountain trail that led to the Forecourt.

“But for the record, I like it when you let your hair down.” Louis called out his last few words before exiting the summit with a smirk on his face, followed shortly by a wink directed towards the curly haired boy. “Y’know, it’s all about the aesthetics for me.”

Harry couldn’t stop himself blushing, feeling as if he had just left their world and was transported into one of pure oblivion.

 

**☆**

 

Harry could not think of a time when stargazing with Louis was not a part of their daily routine since arriving at the Land of Departure. The memory of that first time they had both sat underneath the massive blanket of stars together was still fresh in Harry’s mind:

_He remembered how quiet it had been that evening, the night air motionless and cool. He remembered standing at the peak of the summit, body resting against the stone wall that hugged the perimeter. It had been a long morning of training, as Simon had been particularly strict towards both Harry and Louis’ training techniques. They had trained with Simon individually for the first couple of years, mostly due to the fact that Simon initially wanted them both to develop their own unique battling techniques without competing against each other. Harry trained with Simon in the mornings, and Louis in the afternoons._

_Harry remembered his thoughts and inquiries about his Keyblade and why he was able to wield one in the first place. Why didn’t his sister have one? Why are there only a select amount of people with the ability to wield one? Why did all Keyblades look different? What was their entire purpose? What was this “Kingdom Hearts” Simon always spoke of? He had so many questions, and yet, Simon had chosen to ignore every single one of them._

_He recalled the moment he heard grass crunching behind him. Harry had turned around, Keyblade gripped tightly in hand, searching for whatever had created the noise. He was prepared to attack, just as Simon had taught him._

_But then he saw Louis stalking slowly towards him, dragging the head of his Keyblade against the ground beneath them. Beautiful, beautiful Louis. He hadn’t really spoken to Louis at that point in time, mostly just uttered a few number of words to him up until that point. Even on the day they met, they hadn’t interacted much._

_“Louis? What are you doing here?” Harry had asked him, loosening the grip on his Keyblade._

_But Louis just shrugged his shoulders, putting a stop to his steps as he approached Harry’s side. He set his Keyblade down on the ground, falling with a soft thump against the grass. Even though the atmosphere around them was dark, Harry could still take note of how tired Louis'’ eyes seemed to appear. Light amounts of sweat had formed on his brow, and the way his right shoulder collapsed against the stone wall informed Harry that Louis was definitely tired._

_Because that was what Harry saw. To him, Louis looked both exhausted and... fragile, at that moment._

_“I’m tired,” Louis responded, pressing the pads of his fingers against the bridge of his nose, as if the pressure would somehow diminish Louis’ exhaustion._

_Harry hummed. “Rough day of training, huh?”_

_“Yeah,” Louis said, nodding his head. “Simon’s a pretty tough one. Thinks we’re invincible and all that. I almost passed out during training and he just completely ignored me!”_

_Harry stared at Louis, pursing his lips slightly. “I wouldn’t say that he thinks we’re invincible. I think it’s more, like, he’s just pushing us to do our best.”_

_“I guess there’s some sense to that,” Louis stated, bringing an end to the topic. “So, what brings you here? To the summit, I mean.”_

_“Um, I don’t know.” Harry tried his best to answer truthfully. “I guess I just needed some time to myself, and to think about things.”_

_"What kind of things?"_

_"Like, 'Kingdom Hearts' related things. About saving the worlds and fighting for light and against the darkness and the sort."_

_There was a minimal change in Louis' eyes. “Oh. Well, sorry if I interrupted you then. I honestly didn’t me--”_

_“Don’t worry about it Louis,” Harry said to him, placing a hand on his upper arm in a reassuring manner. “It’s fine. Really. Actually, it’s nice spending time with other people for a change. I've been pretty focused on training lately. And I didn’t do much of socializing with others back home, either. I was pretty alone, if I'm honest.”_

_That final sentence alone must have sparked an interest in Louis._

_“Really? How come?”_

_Harry shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. I was a pretty introverted person. I always kept to myself. Never really talked to anyone besides my family. No one really made the effort to talk to me, either, so I guess that’s another factor.”_

_With a raise of his eyebrows, Louis replied: “Well, things sure have taken a huge turn for you, then. With training to be a Keyblade Master and all.”_

_Nodding his head, Harry answered. “Yeah, I guess so.”_

_“Bet they’re all looking down on you now,” Louis muttered beside him, eyes travelling along the sea of stars above them, “all jealous, wishing they were just like you. A hero in the making; about to save the universe from the powers of darkness and evil. Not knowing that a universe like this doesn't need to be saved."_

_Harry didn't know how to respond to that. So, he stayed quiet beside Louis, trying to make sense of his words but failing disappointingly. He didn't know that someone could speak that way, with thoughts so deep and colorful in a variety of ways. He didn't know that was possible._

_That was the moment Harry realized how blue Louis’ eyes were. They were like a cobalt blue in the current lighting, maybe they could even pass for a persian shade of blue. They were like the ocean, with the mindset behind them roaring like the waves. A truly beautiful color, Harry thought. Definitely beautiful enough to get lost in them and never return and be happy that way._

_Harry then looked up too, trying to match Louis’ line of sight. However, it didn’t do much besides spark a curiosity in Harry. “And what about you? What were you like, before you came here? Before you found out you could wield the Keyblade?”_

_Louis tore his eyes away from the black sky, seeming to think about Harry’s question. He pondered for a few seconds, looking at the world in front of him as he searched for an answer. The words left his lips a few seconds later, though, the answer they uttered leaving an unsatisfied Harry behind._

_He chuckled. “Well, what can I say, Harry? I was just like you. Nothing too special about me, really. Just a boy who thought he knew what the universe was truly made of, only to find out he was wrong.”_

And now they stood in the same position, beneath the dark sky that only seemed to be illuminated by the small, bright dots they called stars. Harry and Louis stood only a few centimeters apart, much closer than how they stood that first night.

Louis was staring off into the worlds above them, while Harry merely stared at Louis, as he found himself getting distracted by his breathtaking beauty.

“You’re so beautiful,” Harry mumbled to Louis, his mouth taking control over his brain.

Immediately, Louis’ eyes widened, and he turned his head towards Harry in a swift motion. Harry, realizing what he had just said, pushed himself away from the wall. This created a few more inches of space between the two boys.

“What did you just say?” Louis asked, stepping closer to Harry. His voice was quiet, giving off a tone that Harry could only identify as disbelief.

“N-nothing,” Harry said, eyes searching for something, _anything_ besides Louis’ eyes to focus on. “I didn’t say anything.”

“No, you definitely said something.”

Letting his feet take control, Harry found himself moving farther and farther away from the boy he was so in love with. But it wasn’t out of shame or any of the sort, mostly he was just embarrassed. It was obvious that he wasn’t supposed to say that to Louis. At least, not yet anyway.

But then Louis took Harry’s hand in his, thumb brushing against the back of it. That simple touch was enough to completely put a halt to Harry’s feet.

“No, you definitely said something.” Louis’ tone of voice expressed his curiosity thoroughly, causing Harry to refocus on him instinctively. But Harry looked past Louis’ arched eyebrow, and instead began to stare at his lips.

Which seemed to Harry as if they were… trying to hold back a smile?

When Harry didn’t answer, Louis’ grasp on Harry’s hand loosened. “You can tell me. Please?”

Clearing his throat, Harry began his attempt to answer Louis’ question. “I, um, I said that you were beautiful.”

Out of all things Harry would’ve expected to happen at that moment, he certainly did not expect to see Louis break out into a smile. He did not expect to see the corners of Louis’ eyes crinkle with delight as he processed Harry’s words.

(But then again, Harry actually had no idea of what he expected from this situation.)

“You think I’m beautiful?” Louis asked him, his blue eyes burning holes into the surface of Harry’s skin.

“Well, yeah.” Harry told him this as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “You _are_ beautiful, Lou. So, so beautiful.”

That moment felt perfect to Harry, watching Louis’ eyes fill with the awe and love he deserved to have. He never let go of his hand, as it was too fragile and much too precious to Harry; he could never bring himself to release it.

And then Louis moved closer, up to the point where the tips of his boots were aligned with Harry’s own. He brought his free hand up to Harry’s face, brushing the strands of curls away from his eyes, and then letting the pads of his fingers travel along Harry’s cheeks, lips, and jawline.

“What are you doing? Do I have grass in my hair still?” Harry whispered as Louis pulled him even closer. Suddenly, Harry feared that he had spoiled the moment they were sharing, immediately shutting his eyes and opening his mouth again to apologize. “Oh shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to interru--”

But Louis quickly shushed him, the soft touch of his fingers against his skin allowing Harry to open his eyes and let Louis’ pull him in completely. “I was planning on kissing you, Haz. So, let me fucking kiss you before we both end up ruining the moment.”

That was when they both let themselves go.

Harry had never felt anything like it. With Louis’ hand resting against his neck, and his own hands coming up to rest on the sides of Louis’ hips, Harry found this moment to be free of any flaw. He thought that Louis’ lips were just _so soft_ as he pressed down on them with his own. And the way they moved so smoothly and unrestrictedly made Harry’s head spin. To Harry it seemed as if their set of lips were meant to fit together like two puzzle pieces.

And then Harry felt Louis pulling away. His hands had moved throughout the kiss, and now they rested on top of Harry’s biceps. Louis’ blunt fingernails dug shallowly into Harry’s skin as he drew himself away from him. Harry could feel Louis’ breath against his chin, and he wished he could feel that warmth for the rest of his life.

“You don’t know how long I’ve been wanting to kiss you for,” Harry breathed out. “How long I’ve wanted that.”

“You and me both, Styles,” Louis breathed against him. Harry felt himself start to drown in Louis’ deep abyss as his mind processed his words. “You’re so perfect, H. So full of beauty, and so full of light. I wish things could be like this forever.”

Harry didn’t question him; he didn’t think he’d need to, if he was completely honest with himself. Because in this moment, it seemed as if everything was finally falling into place. Like all the worlds in the sky had aligned themselves just for them. Just for Louis and Harry.

And as the two boys continued to stand underneath the stars, Harry truly believed that this was what it all came down to. That he no longer needed to search for his destiny, because he had already found it.

And it was Louis.

Louis was his destiny.


	2. Part II

 

 

**Part II**

 

 

The excruciating heat of the sun caused Harry’s brow and upper lip to perspire. He had to make the effort to squint through the sunlight as it was much too bright outside for his liking. His heart rate was accelerating as he and Louis stood before Simon and Liam; they were only a few minutes away from their Mark of Mastery exam.

Other Keyblade wielders that had been training alongside Louis and Harry watched behind their Master and Liam. Surely, they were taking mental notes for when it came to their own Mark of Mastery. Harry didn’t blame them, he would have done the same.

Harry wondered if Louis could hear the thumps of his heart rattling against his chest. He wouldn’t be surprised if he could.

“Today is the day you will be tested on the Mark of Mastery,” Simon spoke, introducing the first part of his address.

Usually, Keyblade Masters recited short speeches just before the actual exam took place, even if it was to a small audience. However, the heavy sound of Simon’s voice made Harry nauseous. Although he was so sure they were both going to pass, this exam was still a big deal, and Harry had never really been able to deal with his nerves properly.

“Two of the Keyblade’s chosen stand before us this morning as candidates for the Mark. But this test is not a competition, nor a rivalry. The Mark of Mastery is a test of heart, of strength. Both of you may succeed or fail, but I’m sure that Keyblade Master Liam Payne did not come here to watch you two miss the Mark.”

Harry’s eyes shifted to where Liam sat, on a wooden chair that they had moved to the outdoor courtyard. Liam stared at the two candidates both conspicuously and excitedly, his index finger laying on his upper lip as he did so. Hopefully Liam thought that he was capable of receiving the Mark.

“I am confident that you’re both ready,” Simon concluded, with his arms crossed over his torso.

Harry nodded his head in response to his teacher’s statement, and he was able to hear a soft but prompt, “Yes,” come from Louis’ mouth.

Simon delivered a closed smile. “Then the examination may begin.”

Luckily for Louis and Harry, their exam was not a difficult one to work through. For them, the Mark of Mastery exam consisted of a battle between the two candidates. This was very similar to their routine training, so neither Harry nor Louis should have found themselves struggling throughout the examination.

The battle had started out evenhandedly, neither candidate with an advantage or disadvantage. They were allowed to use any move, sleight or spell they had learned throughout the years. While Harry had always found himself to be more successful with magic, Louis had always triumphed with a combination of fast, physical and magic attacks. But this was all a part of their different battling styles, meaning that one of the two boys would never be superior to the other.

Louis began to take control of the battle shortly after it commenced. With a use of advanced aero spells he was able to get Harry off-balance, engulfing him in a rush of wind and taking him to the opposite end of the room.

Harry struggled to stabilize his position, the grip he had on his Keyblade loosening the longer he tried to balance himself. He summoned shards of ice as his defensive move, sending them flying towards his opponent. Louis could not react fast enough, however, and the fragments of ice struck his side and thighs.

Louis cried out, lunging towards Harry as he began to strike back. But all it took was a quick reaction from Harry (and maybe even some slight luck) to counter that attack with ease. This only frustrated Louis even more, as Harry could see through his facial expressions and tense body language.

It was obvious to everyone watching them that Harry was winning this battle, and there was no doubt in Harry’s mind that Louis knew this too.

But regardless of that fact, Harry had never thought that he would see it. And it happened so quickly, he could have missed it with a simple blink of his eyes.

_Darkness._

Darkness wasn’t something that was visible to the naked eye, or any eye at all for that matter. But this power was strong. It was a force that was so easy to recognize, even in it’s most subtle form. It was a power so malevolent that it could literally destroy the hearts of those who possessed it.

That’s why it startled Harry so much when he was able to sense it on Louis.

The moment was much too brief, like a couple of seconds long. But Harry knew that it was darkness; he could feel it. It was like all of a sudden, Louis was completely engulfed by it. Like his entire being was entirely made out of it, gallons and gallons of it. But then it disappeared. And it all happened too fast for Harry. It seemed to him as if Louis had realized what had happened, and he tried to force all the dark powers he had spilled back into his body before anyone noticed.

But Harry noticed it. And he was so sure that Simon and Liam had noticed it, too.

Blinking rapidly, Harry tried to refocus on the battle he was taking part in. He was able to attack Louis using a smaller variety of gravitational and fire spells, which Louis was able to dodge and counterattack too smoothly for Harry’s liking. This little exchange repeated itself a few more times before Simon declared that the exam had come to an end.

The two boys breathed heavily, the sweat that had formed on the palms of their hands loosening the grips they had on their Keyblades. Harry untied the bun that held his hair together with his unoccupied hand, freeing his chocolate curls and allowing them to rest on his shoulders. From where he stood, Harry could see Louis wipe the top of his upper lip, as some sweat had formed there during the fight.

With his arms outstretched in front of him, Simon gestured to the boys to stand in front of him like they had done at the start of the exam. Louis obeyed him instantly, feet moving fast underneath him. Harry would have done the same, but he was too distracted by the eerie feeling in the atmosphere to respond to Simon’s words fast enough.

It was strange. It seemed as if every single particle of dark power Harry was able to identify earlier in the battle had completely disappeared. Like he had imagined the entirety of it. He knew that wasn’t possible, though. It couldn’t have been.

As Harry walked up to where Simon and Liam stood, he was able to watch Louis carefully. But besides his heaving chest, there was nothing that seemed off about Louis. He just seemed tired from all the action.

“I have to say, in all my years of training Keyblade wielders, I have never seen such a creative use of the different techniques and attacks that I have taught to my students,” Simon said calmly. “The test itself was handled and embraced outstandingly, and I couldn’t be prouder of you both.”

Harry let out a short sigh of relief. It was nice to hear so many nice things come from Simon’s mouth, and especially about such a serious and important event.

“Liam and I have come to our final decision. While you two have both performed wonderfully, only Harry was able to show us the true Mark of Mastery.”

And that was when all the blood circulating through Harry’s body went cold.

Simon’s calm eyes became fixated on Louis. “Louis, while you found yourself failing to keep yourself in control of the battle, you allowed darkness to overtake you even in just the shortest of moments."

Harry could feel Louis tense beside him. It was as if Simon’s words were able to utterly crush Louis’ heart. He couldn’t bring himself to look at him, he didn’t know what to expect.

“You’re failing me?” Louis asked, voice full of both disbelief and disappointment.

“I’m afraid so,” the Master replied. “The darkness is an extremely dangerous thing, Louis. Only a heart that is pure of light is able to show the Mark. But don’t worry, although you didn’t show the Mark of Mastery in this exam, you can always try to prove your strength again in a year or so.”

Louis nodded, his stature still tense from his results, and his voice wavering just the slightest. “Of course, Master.”

“Now that the test has concluded, Harry, you need to remain here for a few minutes for further information about the Mastery.”

Harry nodded his head in response, his throat was dry and it felt wounded. He was supposed to be feeling proud and ecstatic right now, but all he felt was dissatisfaction and… disappointment, almost. He needed to get out of the sun’s heat before he fainted, that’s for sure.

Simon turned to Liam, engaging in a short conversation. This allowed Harry to interact with Louis, as he had not moved since Simon had indirectly dismissed him. But Harry didn’t know what to do or say to him.

“Louis,” he began after clearing his throat, “I am so so--”

“It’s fine, Harry,” Louis said, cutting off his sentence. But despite his words, his body was tight and the way he bit his lip made him look guilty and uncomfortable with the lie he had just told. “It’s okay, really.”

“No, it’s not okay. Lou--”

“I said it was _fine_ , Haz. Look, you are a _Keyblade Master_ now. That’s one of the biggest achievements a wielder could ever accomplish! “

A brief silence fell between them before Louis continued.

“And at least you’ll get to go and see new places, even if it’s without me.”

But Harry didn’t see how that was _fine_. Louis just didn't understand. This wasn’t what Harry wanted.

“Congratulations on the Mark of Mastery, Haz. I knew you could do it.”

And with Harry incapable of saying anything, Louis walked away from him. Harry felt frozen in place, he was trying to process the series of events that had just occurred before him.

In all honesty, he felt like crying. But it wasn’t out of joy for receiving the Mark. It was out of… frustration? Confusion? Harry didn’t know how to explain it.

All he knew is that he just watched the future he and Louis had built up for the past few years crumble down to the ground in the span of an hour.  


 

**☆**

  


Harry was so sure that if he didn’t stop biting his lip, he would end up swallowing and digesting it without even noticing. But he wasn’t able to stop; there were too many thoughts and worries that ran through his mind, completely distracting him from whatever Simon was saying.

It was like he was hearing Simon speak, but the words never processed in his mind. All Harry could think about was the boy with the light blue eyes that he so desperately needed to find and talk to.

But Simon was still speaking; and Harry needed him to stop.

“...you must always be aware of the darkness and it’s powers. You have to know about it’s abilities to destroy and corrupt both hearts and worlds. And as Keyblade Master, you will now be able to take in and train your own apprentices, teaching them the ways of the Keyblade and the strength of the heart. I know I’ve mentioned this to you in training before, Harry, but these are incredibly important concepts that one must remember.”

Harry nodded his head, finally lifting the teeth from his lips. He was so sure he could taste blood on them, but he didn’t care. “I understand, Simon.”

“Good,” Simon said, bearing a smile. “I suppose I’ll dismiss you now, but make sure you take my words into account. You’ll have the capability to be one of the greatest Keyblade Masters, Harry. Trust me.”

“Of course. Thank you Master Simon.”

“And no matter where your destiny takes you, Harry, I’ll definitely miss having you around. It was an honour having you as a student.”

“Likewise, it was an honour having you as a mentor,” Harry replied, the smile on his face now sincere.

And with a brief bob of the head from his mentor, Harry was dismissed. He instantly left the courtyard, but not exactly knowing where he was headed. All he knew was that he had to find Louis.

He had to talk to him, comfort him, and tell him that everything was going to be okay.

He walked and walked, eyes searching for that head of light brown hair that always seemed to bounce with the happiness that filled it. But Harry saw nothing of the sort. He searched the summit, walked through the mountain trails, and even walked all the way to Louis’ room. But he didn’t find him. He found absolutely nothing.

It was with every passing minute in which Louis remained unseen that Harry found himself worrying more and more about him. Louis had never been the person to hide away from his thoughts and problems, and he always told Harry everything that went on in his mind. So he didn’t understand why this time was so different from all the others.

With a sigh, Harry walked back to his room. Both his and Louis’ rooms were located on opposite sides of Simon’s building, so the walk felt like an eternity to Harry. He looked around the walls of the corridors as he walked, at every painting and decoration that hung on them. They weren’t anything new to Harry; he had memorized every single detail about Simon’s place in the first week he got there. But all of the sudden everything felt different.

Maybe it was the feeling of knowing that he was supposed to leave and not come back, or at least not come back for a long time.

He stopped walking as he reached an image of a cluster of stars in the brinks of space. He remembered the first time seeing it, on the day Simon took him in as his apprentice. It was also the moment in which he and Louis, as well as Liam, had first spoken. It was the day they met:

_Harry’s eyes had trailed over every single inch of the painting. His heart remained beating in his chest, still feeling anxious about his entire situation. He still couldn’t believe that he was one of the Keyblade’s chosen; he had heard so many different things about the powerful weapon, but he’d never thought he would have the ability to wield one._

_The painting he was studying reminded Harry of all the different worlds he had seen on his journey over to the world in which Simon lived in. Even now he was so bewildered by the concept of there being so many different worlds besides his own, he couldn’t bring himself to grasp it. All he knew is that they were there, waiting for Harry to set foot in them._

_The sound of loud footsteps managed to snap Harry out of his thoughts, sending him back to where he was now. But then the sound stopped, the person who was making it had probably put a halt on their steps. Harry turned, and his eyes met with someone else’s._

_“Who are you?” the other person asked. The question lingered in the air for a few seconds, mostly because Harry was so taken aback by the beauty of the boy that stood in front of him._

_Because, wow, Harry had never seen anyone so beautiful before._

_“I’m Harry,” he answered with a shy smile. Stretching out his hand, he invited the other boy to take it. The physical contact sent shivers travelling through Harry’s veins. “And you are?”_

_“I’m--”_

_“Ah, Louis!” an unfamiliar voice called out from the end of the hall._

_A slightly older boy of larger build was located there, his figure getting closer to the two boys as he walked towards them. He held a giant weapon in hand, with a red-orange color and a rectangular guard surrounding the body. A blue eye was deposited in the head of it, catching the light of every lamp or lantern that passed by it. The teeth of the weapon was created by large, chipped spikes of an intimidating form._

_Harry figured that it must have been his[Keyblade](https://thumbs.worthpoint.com/zoom/images1/1/1013/30/chaos-ripper-keyblade-kingdom-hearts_1_fb086bad1886fe672338e21848ee28c9.jpg). It looked so much more menacing than the one he had received. _

_The voice spoke again, saying, “I see you’ve met the new kid, then.”_

_“Oh, um, yeah,” the pretty boy named Louis said. His eyes remained on Harry, though. And Harry could feel his own cheeks getting hotter and hotter the longer Louis stared. “This is Harry.”_

_Clasping his free hand onto Harry’s shoulder (which almost made Harry completely shit his pants in surprise), the other boy introduced himself: “I’m Liam. It’s nice to meet you.”_

_“Likewise,” Harry told him, shaking Liam’s hand nervously. Harry had never been great with other people; he has always been so awkward._

_“Hmm, I didn’t expect Simon to pick up a new wielder so soon,” Liam explained. “After all, they’re quite hard to find.”_

_Harry shrugged his shoulders. “Guess he got lucky.”_

_Liam chuckled, smiling softly at the boy. “Yeah, I guess he did. Anyways, Harry, I hope you enjoy your time here. Training with Simon might seem tough at first, but you’ll get used to it pretty quick. Just make sure to listen to what he says; he’s a very wise man.”_

_“Alright. Thanks for the advice, Liam.”_

_There was no doubt in Harry’s mind that the pretty boy, Louis, was still staring at him. He could feel the depths of his eyes setting his skin on fire almost restlessly. And it only made Harry’s heartbeats become more erratic; he wasn’t used to people staring at him, and especially not in an incredibly unsubtle manner._

_“Right. Well, my training session starts in about five minutes, so I should probably get going,” Liam said, checking the time on the hands of an antique grandfather clock that stood against one of the walls of the corridor. “At this rate, I’ll never become a Keyblade Master if my punctuality says anything about it.”_

_And with that, Liam waved a goodbye to Harry, feet leading him past the corner of the hall. That left Harry standing alone with the pretty boy named Louis once again. Louis’ eyes never left Harry’s face._

_Feeling an awkward silence approaching, Harry cleared his throat and moved his head towards the painting behind him. The clusters of light looked so small in the painting, each star representing an entire different world. There were probably hundreds of them in the painting, which was probably nowhere near the amount of worlds that actually existed. Harry couldn’t wait to explore them all some day._

_He turned back to the pretty boy, about to comment on his thoughts on the piece of art. Maybe Louis had similar thoughts about the universe, also._

_But he never got the chance to speak; Louis was gone._

“Harry?” Liam’s voice called, bringing Harry out of the depths of his memory. Harry turned to where Liam stood, his green eyes finally tearing themselves away from the painting. “What are you doing?”

“Um. N-nothing.”

Liam sounded unconvinced, but let the sentence go regardless. “Okay. Anyways, listen, I never got the chance to personally congratulate you on passing the exam. You must be over the moon right now!”

“I am, Liam.” He tried to sound as sincere as possible, even if he was a bit distracted at the moment. Harry’s eyes kept wandering around the area, hoping that Louis might appear unexpectedly. “Thank you.”

“No problem. I just feel bad for Louis, y’know. The poor lad was heartbroken.”

Hearing those words made Harry’s stomach flip repeatedly. He hated knowing that Louis was so upset about this; he’d do anything to make the beautiful boy smile or even laugh. It was everything he deserved.

“Yeah. Speaking of Louis, did you happen to see him after the exam was over? I need to talk to him about something,” Harry asked, voice hopeful.

Liam opened his mouth to speak, but then closed just as quickly. He crossed his arms, looking around his surroundings in silence, as if trying to come up with an answer. Harry arched his eyebrow, identifying the look on Liam’s face as guilt. It was really the only thing it could be.

“You _did_ see him, didn’t you?”

Chuckling nervously, Liam finally answered Harry. “We may have exchanged a few words right after the exam.”

Harry felt his eyes widen. He gestured his hands in a way that prompted Liam to continue. “And?”

Liam bit his lip, hesitant to answer. “He’s… gone?”

Harry’s stomach flipped once again. He blinked repeatedly, as if he had completely imagined Liam’s sentence. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Louis’ gone. He left not so long ago, I think.”

It was as if all the oxygen had disappeared from Harry’s lungs. Because Harry couldn’t feel himself breathing. And he couldn’t believe what Liam had just said. Louis wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t just leave without an explanation. Not after everything they’ve been through. No. Not possible.

“Gone?” Liam nodded in response. Harry felt like bursting into tears. “Well, did he say where he was going? And why?”

Liam’s eyes flashed him guilt once again. Only this time, he didn’t hesitate before responding. “Yeah. Radiant Garden, where he grew up. It’s not too far from here. Louis’ probably just arriving there as we speak.”

“Alright. So, we’ll have to leave right away if we want to catch up with him,” Harry said. He walked towards the end of the hall, which will lead him to the main entrance of the building.

But then he felt the force of Liam’s hand on his shoulder, stopping him from moving any further. “What? Harry no, you can’t go.”

“Why not?”

Liam paused briefly. “It’s just that Louis seemed really upset earlier. I don’t think talking to him would be a good idea. I think you should let him be alone for a while. And, y’know, give him time to think.”

Harry knew that Liam was right. That going after Louis wouldn’t fix anything, and that there are times when people are better left alone. But Harry was Louis’ best mate, they told each other everything; Harry didn’t want this time to be different. He knew that he needed to talk to Louis, to let him know that nothing was going to change. That everything would be fine.

“I need to find him, Liam,” Harry told him, his voice barely a whisper. “Please.”

Breathing out a sigh, Liam let go of Harry’s shoulder. “Fine. We’ll both go, then.”

  


**☆**

  


According to Liam, Radiant Garden was the capital of light in the universe. “The City of Light”, he had called it. Where there was a great lack of darkness roaming around the world, and light illuminated the entirety of it. It was basically heaven to those who both lived and visited there. So it didn’t surprise Harry that Louis had grown up here, of all the worlds in their universe.

After all, Louis’ heart was nearly pure of light.

They walked through the town centre together, Harry absolutely mesmerized by the beauty of the world. It was as if he could _feel_ the light, _feel_ the purity. Crowds of people swarmed the central area, purchasing goods and items that they might use or need. It was so different compared to the Land of Departure, where only Simon, Harry, Louis and very few other wielders lived. Here, hundreds of people inhabited the land. It was a drastic change, but it only managed to fascinate Harry even more.

“This place is huge,” Harry noted, voice lower than usual as he spoke into Liam’s ear. “How are we going to find Louis here?”

“We’ll have to ask around,” Liam suggested. “People will definitely notice a Keyblade wielder walking around, it’s not something that’s necessarily common.” Harry nodded at Liam’s suggestion, already making his way over to the groups of people situated around the town centre.

However, their little reconnaissance mission wasn’t as successful as Harry would have hoped. Whomever he questioned regarding the location of a fellow Keyblade wielder either looked at him with pure alarm in their eyes, or they ignored his questions completely, making their way to openly flirt with Harry instead. By the time the fifth woman he had asked gave him one of those seductive stares, Harry was tired.

He just wanted to find Louis.

As he made his way over to where he last saw Liam, someone’s shoulder roughly bumped into Harry’s own. This caused him to stumble over his feet and crash into whoever walked behind him. The person behind Harry gently helped him find his balance, seeming unbothered by the unpleasant collision.

“Careful there,” the person, a blonde boy that seemed to be close to Harry’s age, said. “That would have been a nasty fall you would’ve taken.”

“Sorry about that.” Harry smiled awkwardly. “Someone shoved me. I didn’t mean to bump into you.”

“It’s fine, mate.” Then, extending his hand in order for Harry to shake it, the boy introduced himself. “I’m Niall.”

He shook Niall’s hand. “Harry. It’s nice to meet you.”

Niall’s smile soon diminished as his eyes caught on the weapon that hung from Harry’s waist, slowing down the handshake. “You’re not from here, are you?”

Hesitantly, Harry shook his head.

“I assumed as much. It’s not often that a Keyblade wielder rises from the Gardens, believe it or not.”

Harry understood where Niall was coming from. Regardless of the light and integrity that this world contains, it isn’t common for Keyblade wielders to originate from a place like Radiant Garden. It was a little piece of history he had learned from Simon.

Although, Harry did admit that it was strange, since light was what strengthened the heart.

“So I’ve heard,” Harry said, shifting his hips so that his Keyblade somewhat moved out of the blonde boy’s sight. “Um, I’m actually looking for someone. I don’t know if you’ve seen him, but he’s about your height, has brown hair, bright blue eyes, has the finest arse in the entire universe if I may add; he also wields a Keyblade...”

But even as Harry gesticulated, Niall’s eyes never seemed to widen with a realization of some sort. Once again, the hope in Harry’s heart dwindled.

“Nope. Sorry mate. You’re the first wielder I’ve seen in weeks, actually.” Niall’s voice was penitent, and full of remorse.

“It’s okay,” Harry assured him, but failed to hide the disappointment in his voice. He looked around his surroundings for a brief moment, just in case. “I had a feeling he wasn’t here anyways.”

“Harry,” Liam’s deep voice came from behind him, startling him slightly. “Got any luck so far?”

“No,” he informed Liam. He brushed his hair away from his face, eyes set down to his feet. “Did you?”

“Unfortunately, no.” Liam’s voice matched Harry’s with their identical dismay. “It’s strange, though, I could’ve sworn he said he was coming here.”

It didn’t take long for Harry to remember that Niall was still right in front of them. So, like the gentleman that Harry was, he made the effort to introduce him to Liam.

“Liam, this is Niall,” Harry began, gesturing as he spoke. “And Niall, this is my friend Liam. He’s also a wielder.” And then the two boys shook hands, delivering closed smiles to one another.

Harry sighed softly, the events of the past twenty-four hours still fresh in his memory. There were so many questions floating around his mind, so many things he just couldn’t seem to grasp. There was so much he didn’t understand.

“Well, it was very nice to meet you Niall,” Liam said to the blonde boy before turning to Harry briefly. “But it seems like Harry and I’ll have to go back to where we came from. It seems we wasted our time coming here.”

“Really? Leaving so soon?” Niall asked them. “But the sun’s about to set. Why don’t you guys stay the night? I can even show you around for a bit!”

Harry thought about it for a second. He really saw no harm in Niall’s suggestion. After all, he was a Keyblade Master now; there was nothing forcing him to go back to the Land of Departure. He was free to explore, and see new worlds.

Which is what he had always wanted, right? This is what he planned.

The only problem was that Louis wasn’t there with him.

And so Liam was the first to agree, and Harry watched as the smile on Niall’s face grew with each passing second. He ended up agreeing also, much to Liam’s surprise. But even as Niall led the pair of boys throughout the depths of Radiant Garden, giving out little facts and stories every now and then, the twinge of discomfort Harry had felt since the sun rose that morning remained.

He just hoped it wasn’t permanent.

  


**☆**

  


It turned out that Niall was fascinated by the power of the Keyblade and it’s wielders. Ever since he was young, he had dreamed of wielding one of his own, of being able to hold one in his hands. There had been stories, _legends_ , about those with that ability. People talked about Keyblade wielders as if they were superheroes, fighting the darkness within each world and person.

(That was the first time Harry had even heard about that. Harry had never even thought about the Keyblade in that manner; and he probably never will, if he was completely honest with himself.)

And so, maybe it was the stories, or even Niall’s own personal fascination, that had caused Niall to beg Harry and Liam to accompany them on their little search for their missing friend the following day.

(Yes, that’s right. Harry wasn’t giving up on his mission. Not in a million years.)

Liam had only allowed Niall to come with them for a limited time, however, as Niall had his own life and family back in Radiant Garden. It would’ve been unfair to them if Niall had just left them with no valid explanation or reason.

They travelled to a number of different worlds together, searching every inch for any sign of the beautiful blue eyed boy that Harry was so desperate to find. But they concluded their searches in each world with empty hands; Louis was nowhere to be found. Harry found himself losing hope.

Their final destination as a trio was a world that was relatively close to Radiant Garden; the world itself was a series of islands, with sandy beaches and palm trees at every turn. It was a tropical location, one that Harry had never experienced before.

Liam had mentioned that the world was called the Destiny Islands.

But the world was also quiet, as the occasional crash of waves against its shores was the only sound the boys could hear. And it didn’t take Harry or the rest of the boys too long to figure out that the population in that particular island they were at was incredibly low. It almost seemed as if no one actually inhabited it. Harry hoped that wasn’t true, as he would hate for a world as beautiful as this one to be missed out on.

The three boys resumed their usual search on that first island. They looked behind every tree and rock they stumbled upon. They had even found a tree house near a waterfall, but there was no sign of Louis inside it. He wasn’t in that world.

Harry was close to giving up; they had looked in every world they had come across, but he still hadn’t found Louis. Harry solemnly swore that he was on the edge of crying tears of frustration. With tensed shoulders, he walked towards a small, open area right on the shoreline of the island. There was a tree with a strange, horizontal-like shape in the middle of a circular platform. Harry sat down on it's trunk, the warm wooden surface causing goosebumps to rise on his arms.

Harry sighed as he watched the sun lower itself on the horizon; it was painting the sky an orange and pink colour. A truly breathtaking view in Harry's eyes.

Almost as breathtaking as Louis, Harry thought.

It was as if everywhere he went, Louis always found himself making his way into Harry's brain. He was all he ever thought about. Not even a beautiful sunset could take Harry's mind off of him.

The sound of a throat clearing snapped Harry out of his thoughts, and he turned quickly to where the sound originated from. Liam stood behind Harry, leaning against the trunk of the tree. His eyes were focused on the sunset in front of him, just like Harry's were a few moments ago.

"How're you feeling, Harry?" Liam asked, his voice gentle.

"We still haven't found him," is all Harry said.

Liam huffed, but it was brief. "I know." A short pause. "I still think we should just head back to the Land of Departure, though."

"Not until we find Lou." Harry hated the desperation in his voice, but he didn't know any other way to express himself. He wasn't desperate, just worried.

"We already searched everywhere, Harry. Maybe he already went back and he's waiting for us?"

"I highly doubt that."

"Why do you care so much? You know better than to chase after him when he's upset."

Harry shut his eyes briefly, and then shortly after opening them again, he met Liam's. "I love him, Li. I love him, and I'm scared because I feel like I'm the reason he ran off in the first place and I don't want him to be mad at me. Not when I love him with everything I have. I just don’t want him to be upset with me.”

Liam’s eyes widened slightly as Harry said this, clearly surprised by Harry’s small declaration of love. “You love him?”

Harry nodded.

The brown-eyed boy looked down for a second, as if he were trying to collect his thoughts. “Harry, believe me, you’re not the reason Louis ran off. If anything, he returns your love. You mean everything to him.”

Harry furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Then I don’t und--”

“I’d explain everything myself,” he interrupted, “but I think I ought to let Louis make everything clear.” He moved away from the trunk of the tree, stepping back while still facing forward. “I’m going to go talk to Niall, okay? You just stay put.”

As Liam slowly made his way out of Harry’s eyesight, Harry directed his vision towards the sunset once again, squinting faintly as the sunlight hit his face. He thought about what Liam said, about him not being the reason for this entire dilemma they were facing. He hoped that Liam was right.

Taking a deep breath, Harry was about to finally stand and step away from his current location. That is, until Niall’s voice cut through the silent atmosphere.

“Harry!” He called out from a few feet behind Harry. Harry turned almost immediately, mostly in surprise from the abrupt disruption of the peaceful aura. Niall stood right behind Harry, just where Liam had been a few minutes ago. His eyes looked extremely blue in the lighting. “Liam and I are gonna go look for Louis on the other islands. Are you coming or...?”

Harry thought about it for a second. He wanted to go search for Louis, but he was afraid that they were going to be unsuccessful once again. He didn’t want to experience that feeling of lost hope he had already been encountering for the past two days. Not again.

“No. You guys can go, but I think I’ll stay and just think for a while.”

Niall nodded, seeming to understand where Harry was coming from. “Alright then, mate. We shouldn’t be too long. Take a walk around, enjoy the tropics, and we’ll get you back to your man in no time.”

Harry smiled, silently thanking Niall for not asking any further questions. He also felt his cheeks burn just a little as Niall called Louis ‘Harry’s man’.

(But only a little.)

Harry decided to take Niall’s advice. He took a long walk around the island’s perimeter, his boots just barely making contact with the waves as they crashed against the shoreline. His eyes made sure to focus on everything he came across of, as he wanted to keep the beauty of the Destiny Islands deep in his memory. He had already regretted not doing so in the other worlds the three boys had visited so far. Harry had to take a mental note of returning to those other worlds after they had solved their little issue.

He felt his feet come to a stop as a small object caught Harry’s eye. He was standing on the shoreline, only a short distance away from one of the tallest palm trees on the island when he saw it. Dangling from the spathe of the tree was a yellow fruit with small green leaves growing from its ends; it was shaped like the stars Harry had seen in the Land of Departure.

Furrowing his brow in disbelief, Harry whispered to himself. “Is that…?”

“A [paopu fruit](https://www.khwiki.com/Paopu_Fruit)!” A high-pitched voice exclaimed from Harry’s side.

Startled, Harry jumped in place, shutting his eyes briefly and placing a palm over his heart. He could feel his heartbeat accelerate in response to the emotion. He turned his head to where the voice originated from, and of all the things he had been expecting, he certainly did not expect to meet the bright eyes of a little girl.

She couldn’t have been older than six years old, with the top of her head reaching the middle of Harry’s thigh. Her hair was a dark brown, and eyes as blue as the ocean. (The color itself reminded Harry of Louis’ eyes, and how he missed getting lost in them.) And Harry noticed that she had a small bucket by her side, filled to the brim with a variety of seashells of all types of colors.

Harry couldn’t bring himself to say anything to the child, afraid that he would end up scaring her off somehow. He definitely did not want that.

The girl’s smile shrunk at Harry’s lack of response, and so she studied Harry carefully, taking a good look at his face and clothing. She seemed curious, but then again, Harry would act the same if he was in her place.

“You’re not from here, are you?” She asked him, voice lower in volume.

Harry found it hard to swallow. “What makes you say that?”

The girl examined Harry once again, this time much shorter than the previous. It didn’t take her long to come up with an answer. “Your clothes,” she said. Then, she pointed to the Keyblade that hung from Harry’s waist. “And you have a giant key with you. I don’t know anyone from here that has one like that.”

Harry’s eyes widened in surprise. Niall had told him the same thing when they first met, but Harry found it incredible that someone so much younger than Niall could have made such a remarkable observation. He wondered how many times strangers from other worlds had visited his home world and he hadn’t noticed or had never even questioned them.

Letting out a soft chuckle, Harry finally responded. “Fair enough.” He kneeled down before the girl, so that she didn’t have to look up and struggle just to have a conversation with him. Harry hummed, a curious thought popping into his mind. “Why are you alone on the island?”

“Oh, I’m not alone. I’m with my friends! They’re just on the other side of the island playing in the tree house. And I just came to collect some seashells, y’know, for decorations!”

The way she spoke so innocently warmed the pit of Harry’s heart. It reminded him of his days as a young child: so pure and naïve. He smiled at her with closed lips while she reciprocated it with a toothy smile. Harry noticed that one of her front teeth was missing. A truly adorable sight.

“I’m Harry, what’s your name?” Harry asked her softly.

The girl did not hesitate for a second. “Opal.”

“Opal,” Harry repeated, smile growing with each nanosecond. “That’s a beautiful name.” Opal muttered a small thank you before Harry opened his mouth to speak once again. “Opal, can you tell more about that fruit up in that palm tree? The one shaped like a star?”

Opal’s eyes brightened. “Yeah! That’s a paopu fruit. My nana told me they only exist here, and that’s why our world is so special. She also told me that if I share one with someone, we’ll end up getting married! That’s why I haven’t eaten one yet, because I don’t wanna get married. Marriage is gross.”

Harry laughed at that, knowing Opal’s version of the story was a bit different on purpose.

That must have been the fruit Liam told him about. The fruit that he modeled the Wayfinders after. The one that symbolized that unbreakable connection he told Louis about. He didn’t think he’d actually find the fruit after months of wondering about it’s existence and how it truly looked like.

Harry’s hands instinctively went for his torso, grabbing the charm that was tucked neatly underneath his shirt. He pulled the green Wayfinder out, grazing the pads of his fingers over it like it was something sacred. He found himself smiling once again.

“What’s that?” Opal’s gentle voice cut through the air. She was staring at the Wayfinder with curious eyes, the green color of the glass reflecting on the blue of her own eyes.

“It’s a Wayfinder,” Harry told her, trying to explain the purpose of the charm to her as best as he could. “It’s sort of like the paopu fruit. Except you don't eat it, you wear it and you can carry this one around with you at all times. I made one for my special someone and I, he means a lot to me.”

Opal nodded, clearly intrigued by Harry’s explanation. Harry could feel the light radiate off of her as if she was the human incarnation of the sun. He found that to be incredibly fascinating. He had never met someone with a heart so pure of light before.

“That’s so cool!” She carefully pawed at the charm, trying not to wreck it in any way. “And it’s so pretty!”

Harry giggled. “Thank you.”

A short exclamation coming from the heart of the island disrupted the small heartwarming moment Harry and Opal were sharing. Two little boys, probably around Opal’s age, emerged from the trees. They seemed to be chasing each other playfully, as part of a game.

Opal laughed beside Harry, and she pointed to the two boys. “Those are my friends,” she told him.

“They seem wonderful,” said Harry in the most truthful way possible.

“They are!” Opal agreed. Slowly, she turned to her side and grabbed the bucket of seashells, carrying it with both hands. It fortunately didn’t seem to be too heavy for her. “I better start heading back to the tree house. We need to decorate otherwise the tree house will be too ugly to play in.”

Harry laughed at Opal’s words once again.

They waved their goodbyes to one another, and Harry watched Opal walk away with the bucket in her arms with a gentle grin on his face. He turned back to the palm tree that contained the paopu fruit, eyeing the fruit with a mischievous stare. Harry wondered if there will ever be a day when he and Louis would end up sharing the legendary fruit, when they’ll truly remain a part of each other’s lives no matter the circumstance.

Harry hoped so.

  


**☆**

  


The streets of Radiant Garden somehow managed to completely rid themselves of people over the course of two days. The trio arrived about an hour past dusk; Liam and Niall’s search for Louis in the main islands of Destiny Island was unsuccessful, just as Harry had predicted. After a long conversation about the near future, the three boys decided that it was best to return to Radiant Garden, as Niall had to eventually go back to the family and life he had temporarily left behind.

Harry looked at the near-empty streets of the world with a general curiosity; for a world that had such a large population, it’s people sure went out of their way to return to their houses after sunset.

Liam and Niall were engaged in a conversation as they walked, and as Harry was too tired to do any talking, he trailed behind the two in silence. He fiddled with the top of his belt, his Keyblade swinging with every step he took. They walked around the Central Square of the world, where Harry first encountered Niall a few days ago. Harry would have followed the two boys, but something (or some _one_ ) had caught his attention.

Sitting on one of the benches in front of a flower stand, sat a brown-haired boy. He was leaning slightly forward, as if he was trying to concentrate on his thoughts. Usually, Harry would have ignored the person and resume whatever he had been doing. But the sight of blue glass around the boy’s neck is what caused Harry to falter in his steps, bringing him to a complete stop.

Blue glass. Necklace. Blue Wayfinder. Louis’ Wayfinder.

_Louis._

With a gasp, Harry walked towards the boy at a fast pace, his feet taking over his brain. Even when he had reached the boy, standing only a few feet away from him, he still didn’t look up from his focus of vision. All it took was a soft call of his name for him to finally show his face.

“Louis?”

The boy looked up, showing off those captivating blue eyes Harry never got tired of looking at.

It was indeed Louis.

He made eye contact with Harry, eyes widening with the realization that Harry was standing right in front of him. Harry let out a sigh of relief as Louis stood from the bench.

“Harry?” Louis asked, confusion evident in his tone of voice. “What are you doing here?”

But Harry wasn’t capable of forming a valid answer. Instead he smiled and quickly leaned in, stealing a short and sweet kiss from Louis. When he pulled away, he could see Louis trying to fight the smile his lips desired to reveal.

“I thought I lost you,” Harry told him. His voice was barely audible, but Harry knew by the way Louis’ lips parted that he heard what he had said.

Bringing his hands up to Louis’ face, Harry held him as he pulled him into another kiss. Louis’ lips were incredibly soft against Harry’s, much like their first kiss back at the Land of Departure. This kiss, however, was definitely longer than their first; and with the mellow sounds Louis was making as he kissed Harry back and the way he gently put his hands on his waist, Harry wouldn’t have minded if their kiss lasted an eternity.

Unfortunately for Harry, their kiss hadn’t lasted much longer after that as Louis made the effort to separate their lips. Harry muttered Louis’ name repeatedly as the kiss broke apart, nearly moaning as he felt Louis softly squeeze the pudge of skin on Harry’s hips.

Louis slowly moved his head away, distributing a small smile. That was when Harry finally took a good look at Louis’ appearance. His hair was slightly disheveled, small pieces of it pointing in different directions. His alluring blue eyes had small bags underneath them, a sign of a lack of sleep. He looked so... not like himself and downright exhausted; Harry felt distressed.

“As hot as that kiss was,” Louis started, earning a dimpled grin from Harry, "you have to tell me why you’re here, Haz. Honestly, you almost scared the piss out of me!”

Harry held back a giggle after hearing that last exclamation. “It’s a long story,” he said, playing with the cord that held Louis’ Wayfinder around his neck.

Louis took Harry’s hand in his and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “Enlighten me then,” he directed, lips moving against the soft skin of Harry’s hand.

Harry felt his cheeks heat up in response to the gesture. His destiny was right in front of him, and he never wanted to let him go.


	3. Part III

 

 

**Part III**

 

 

_The blades of grass felt soft under the palms of Harry’s hands. They were still moist from the  heavy fog that visited their world that morning, as it had painted the blades with dew. The moonlight illuminated Harry’s surroundings, so he was able to view the scenery in front of him without any difficulty._

_Harry, of course, sat on top of the summit. It had been almost a year since he had first begun that small routine of visiting there every night. It had really become more of an instinct than anything. But Harry loved the summit, as it provided the opportunity to really take in the beauty of their world, dressed in mountains and valleys._

_The handle of his Keyblade laid close enough to the side of his boot that Harry could feel its presence without touching it or even laying an eye on it. Its power was strong, like the force of a magnet; only this magnetic field was attracting Harry instead of a small object._

_The soft snap of a twig caused Harry to take his eyes off of the weapon. He could sense that the noise came from behind him, and the longer he placed his focus on the sound the more he could hear the faint rustling of grass blades increase in volume. Harry wasn’t scared; he knew exactly who was making the noise._

_He felt the empty space beside him fill up as a familiar presence soon took over it. The person took a seat beside Harry, their knees just barely making contact with Harry’s own. Goosebumps rose on Harry’s skin as he felt the touch._

_Only one person has ever been able to make Harry feel that way with just a simple touch of their skin._  

 _Harry turned to Louis, a cheeky grin already creeping on his face. But his smile soon disappeared as Harry took in Louis’ appearance._  

_Even in the dark atmosphere of the night, Harry could make out the faint and glistening tear streaks that painted lines on Louis’ cheekbones. The tip of his nose was a shade of light pink, as well as the outline of his eyes. That had to be a sign that he had been crying earlier, Harry thought. Louis’ Keyblade laid by his feet, just like Harry’s was positioned, and he appeared to have a deathly grip on his shins as he wrapped his arms around them as he sat._

_Louis was looking out at the scenery in front of them, a distraught look in his eyes. Not once did he look at Harry._

_Harry felt a sense of worry and paralyzing panic wash over him._

_“L-Louis?” Harry began, raising his hand to place it on Louis’ shoulder. However, he paused the movement of his hand just as fast as he raised it._

_When Louis didn’t answer, Harry tried again._

_“Louis? What’s wrong?” And this time he did grab Louis’ shoulder. The gesture was as gentle as Harry could manage, with the palm of his hand fitting on top of the bone comfortingly._

_Louis jumped slightly under his touch._

_He finally looked at Harry, eyes dark like the deepest ocean. His body trembled as he spoke. “I’m fine.”_

_The abruptness of Louis’ voice startled Harry. So he pulled back from the distressed boy in an immediate motion. He didn’t reply to Louis, too focused on the volume and intensity of his voice._

_Louis must have noticed this, as his hard, crumbling eyes soon turned wide and soft. Harry could see that the visible tension of his body was diminishing the longer Louis looked at him._

_“I’m sorry… I… I d-didn’t mean to--” was all Louis could even manage to say before giving up and closing his mouth. He then rested his chin on the top of his knee, looking back at the luminous world in front of them._

_Harry’s eyes remained on Louis, although his lips never moved to speak to him again. A brief tear rolled down Louis’ cheek, reflecting back whatever light the moon had to offer them. They spent the rest of the night in silence, with only Harry’s imagination present to help him figure out what antecedent action had caused Louis so much pain and sorrow._

 

 

**☆**

 

 

Harry and Louis sat in the middle of the town square, mimicking the way they always used to sit every night back at the Land of Departure, underneath a sky filled with the brightest stars they have ever seen. Harry spent most of the night telling Louis about the worlds he had visited with Liam and Niall, describing each of the worlds with as much detail possible. Louis listened to Harry with awe in his eyes, the starlight reflecting off of them beautifully.

He also made sure to tell him his reasons for going after him, regardless of how foolish they had seemed now that he thought about it. But Louis reassured Harry, telling him that it was all fine and dandy. He loved the way Harry cared so much for him. Harry couldn't help but blush like a child when Louis told him this.

It also turned out that Liam was correct; Louis wasn’t mad at Harry at all. He left because he was upset; being a Keyblade Master was all Louis had ever wanted, and Simon stopped him from obtaining that dream.

Although sure, at first he may have behaved a bit coldly towards Harry, but it wasn’t intentional! Louis would never act that way on purpose.

“Are you gonna go back?” Harry asked him, fiddling with the chain of Louis’ Wayfinder.

Louis sighed, looking down at his lap as he searched for an answer. “I have no idea, to be honest. Part of me wants to go back and earn my Mark of Mastery, but the other part just wants to stay away from Simon and that world.”

Harry dropped the cord of the Wayfinder so that it rested on Louis’ chest once again. Then he looked up, eyes focusing on the soft glow of Louis’ face. “Simon? How come?”

Pondering for a second, Louis clicked his tongue, as if debating on whether or not to actually bid an answer to Harry’s question. And then, in an abrupt motion, he stood up from his spot and took Harry’s hand in his, causing him to stand alongside him.

“Wait. Wh-What are you doing?” Harry inquired as Louis lead him away from the town square and into an area of Radiant Garden that Harry had never been to before. “Where are we going?”

“I want to show you something,” Louis said, guiding Harry through the dark streets of the unfamiliar world.

They came to a stop once they reached the old library. The aged appearance of it spooked Harry quite a bit, as the building looked to be abandoned due to its lack of light. Inside, the library actually turned out to be empty, but that wasn’t a surprise to Harry as it was incredibly late at night. He wouldn’t have expected anyone to actually be there at that hour. Louis had switched on a light a couple of seconds upon entering the large building, and Harry had to shut his eyes briefly because of the sudden brightness.

He prompted Harry to follow him with a wave of his hand, and Harry had no choice but to obey Louis. “When I was young, and my mum was still in school, she used to take me here while she studied. This place has all the information you could ask for.”

Louis led Harry to a table in the far corner of the ground floor. It had a variety of books covering every inch of the wooden platform, some open, some closed, and some stacked on the table. Some were old, as if they would fall apart if Harry ever made any sort of contact with them, and some seemed as if they were just recently published.

“Before Simon took me in as a Keyblade wielder, I used to research all sorts of information on them,” he explained. “It was a bit excessive, really. I was quite the fanatic.”

Harry smiled, imagining a younger Louis with tear-brimmed eyes thinking of the possibility of becoming a Keyblade Master.

Louis merely stared at the dozens of books that rested in front of him for the next few moments, not entirely sure where to go next with his little display. But Harry waited patiently, knowing better than to crowd Louis with questions. Even if all he wanted was an explanation for Louis’ mindset regarding on his hesitancy to continue his training with Simon.

It only took a few seconds before Louis finally opened his mouth to continue. “Just before I left the Land of Departure,” he began, the pads of his fingers tapping the front of a chair that sat right in front of the table, “I bumped into Liam. I talked to him about the exam and about how unfair I thought Simon was being. I mean, you heard him Harry! He failed me for showing off a little bit of darkness! I didn’t do it on purpose, it just happened!”

“I know Louis,” Harry reassured him, and Louis’ blue eyes softened as he listened to his words.  “You were nervous, and you were vulnerable. It wasn't something you could control.”

He looked down at his feet. “Anyway, after I told Liam he told me that having darkness in my heart wasn’t a bad thing, no matter what Simon told us.”

It was true. One of the first lessons Harry had ever received from Simon was about the darkness and its dangers.  Harry never truly understood that lesson, as it left over a thousand questions in his mind about the darkness and it’s powers. But he knew that Simon was a wise man, so he ignored the questions and just agreed with what he said. But now, as he listened to Louis, he could see how bad of a mistake that was.

Now it was obvious to Harry that Simon feared the darkness. And that the only way he could confront it was to fight against it, even if that meant to corrupt anyone who went against his beliefs.

“That conversation confused me the most. How could one of Simon’s favourite students go against one of his strongest beliefs? Then I remembered this place, and how it holds all the information I needed to know about the Keyblade and its wielders. About the darkness, the light, everything!”

After a short pause, Louis took hold of Harry’s hand, his thumb brushing against his partner’s skin. “I had to leave, Harry. I had to find out the truth for myself.”

“So is that what all these books are, then?” Harry asked him for clarification, nodding towards the books on top of the table. "Research?"

Louis smiled at him. “Yeah, these books are all about the history of darkness and light.”

Dropping Louis’ hand, Harry picked up one of the opened books. He tried his best to skim through most words, attempting to unlock the mystery of Louis’ heart.

“Eventually I found my answer,” Harry heard him say, his voice quiet and tender.

Harry closed the book almost instantly, and turned to look at Louis. “You did?”

He nodded. “Yeah. The books say that while both the light and darkness are powerful forces individually, they were never meant to be put against each other. They’re both equally important in the universe and in people’s hearts.”

Harry nodded, really listening to what Louis was saying. He always found the entire concept of light and darkness interesting. It was just sad that not even Simon, his own teacher, could have told him something as simple as what Louis had just said.

“I just wish Simon could see that,” Louis muttered, practically reading Harry’s mind. Harry wondered if he was meant to hear those words. He felt the blue of Louis’ eyes burn holes into his skin, and his expression turned into something a bit more distraught as he stared at Harry. “You know what he told me one day at training?”

Harry gulped silently, afraid of what Louis might say. Regardless, he shook his head, allowing Louis to give him an answer.

“He told me that I had a heart of darkness.”

Harry felt his eyes widen at the sound of Louis’ words. He opened his mouth to protest, but then shut it again. He didn’t know what to say to him.

Louis’ voice broke on the fourth word. “He told me that my heart was _made_ of darkness. That I was turning into a lost cause.”

“What does that mean, exactly?”

Louis shrugged. “It could mean many things, I think. That was one of the other things that I came here to research, actually. Hearts of darkness. And I did find something, but it was a bit vague.”

He searched the table for a book, hand hovering over each one as he tried to find the right one. Finally, his hand came across a pretty small book. It was one of the older ones. He flipped to a page and read what was written in it:

“ _‘I believe darkness sleeps in every heart, no matter how pure. Given the chance, the smallest drop can spread and swallow the heart.’_ ”

Harry’s eyebrows furrowed. “But that doesn’t make any sense! Back during the exam, you controlled your darkness. You may have showed it off unintentionally, but you still managed to push it back into your heart before it took over you. If your heart was pure darkness--which it isn’t!--you wouldn’t have been able to do that.”

Letting out a breath, Louis shut his eyes. “I don’t know, Harry. I spent days doing research, but I still can’t find an answer to why Simon would say something like that to me. Why I have so much darkness in my heart. Liam didn’t go through this and neither did you. I just don’t get it."

“I wish I could help you, Lou.” And Harry meant it, he really did. He paused for a moment. “But you can't let what Simon said get to you. You still don't know what he meant; it could've been anything!”

“I know. That's why I decided to come here in the first place, to learn about the darkness in my heart.”

“Everyone's got darkness in them, Lou,” he told him with a soft voice, eyes closing for a moment. “It's a part of life and you can't change that.”

With an exhale of a breath, Louis gripped the chair in front of him and lowered his head in defeat. Slowly, Harry stepped towards him. His hands travelled vertically over the surface of Louis’ arms once Louis faced him, and he could feel the tensed skin of Louis’ body begin to relax with his touch. He pressed a gentle kiss on Louis’ lips, letting the kiss linger for a few moments before he pulled away.

“I really like kissing you,” Harry said, a dimpled smile growing on his face.

Louis reciprocated the gesture. “I like kissing you, too.”

And so Harry kissed him again, because now there was nothing stopping him from doing so. Louis now knew how Harry felt about him, and now there was no fear getting in the way of him expressing the love that he felt for this boy.

Because Harry loved every bit about Louis. He loved his smile, his eyes, his nose, his laugh, everything. There was never a time when Harry looked at Louis and he didn’t see a burst of light glow around him.

If perfection was a real thing, then Louis was perfect to Harry; he was everything good and everything pure. And Harry didn’t care about Louis’ claims regarding the darkness in his heart, because Harry looked at him and all he could see was the brilliance that resided inside him.

Once Harry separated his lips from Louis’ again, he could hear Louis mumble against the plush surface of his lips. “Haz,” he began, voice heavy, “remember on the night before our exam? When we kissed and I told you about how I wished things between us could stay like that forever?”

Harry gently squeezed the muscles of Louis’ arms. “Of course I remember that. Why do you ask?”

“Well, when I said that, Simon had already told me that I had a heart of darkness. He told me months ago, actually. He used that against me, saying things like if I don’t control it no one around me would be safe.”

“But that’s not true, Louis, and you know it.”

“He also told me I’d never be a Keyblade Master with so much darkness in me,” Louis continued, chuckling dryly.

Harry felt his throat dry as Louis said this. He couldn’t believe that Simon would do such a thing. He had always acted respectfully towards them, like they were his own children. It hurt Harry knowing how different things were behind closed doors.

“Anyways,” Louis continued, “that night I realized how much I really cared for you. How I wanted to protect you more than anything else, Harry.”

Harry’s heart swelled.

“R-Really?”

“Yeah. But I also realized that protecting you would only be possible if you stayed away from me. At least until I got my life together.”

“What? No!” Harry protested, falling a few steps backwards. It was as if Louis had managed to completely construct and destroy Harry’s heart in a span of a few seconds. “Why would that be a good thing?”

Louis looked at Harry in agony. “Harry, it may seem like the darkness has no impact on me, but it does! It’s the one thing I can feel after months and months of Simon’s comments. I can feel it take over every ounce of my blood and it gets stronger every day. It’s been like this for months, Harry, and I’ve been trying to push it away but I'm scared that one day I’m gonna lose control of it and hurt you! And that’s the last thing I want.”

Harry shook his head repeatedly, a strong sense of determination taking over him. “No, Louis! You don’t get it. I could care less about the darkness or the light. All I care about is _you_. I love you and I love every part of you. You can try to stay away from me but that won't change how I feel about you.”

He could see the dark pupils of Louis’ eyes dilate minimally in the dim lighting of the room. “Y-you,  you love me?”

“Of course I love you! I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember, Lou. I love everything about you, and the darkness could never change that.”

Louis looked at Harry with a sort of amazement in his eyes that Harry had never seen before. He felt so proud finally telling Louis how he truly felt after keeping it inside of him for years. It was as if a huge weight was finally lifted off of his shoulders, and Harry loved the feeling. He really did.

“You don’t understand how much I love hearing those words come out of your mouth,” Louis spoke, his irises colored a bright blue. Harry could drown in those irises.

“You don’t understand how long I’ve been waiting to actually say them,” Harry replied, a soft chuckle escaping his rosy lips.

And then, as if his life depended on it, Louis moved until his lips were on Harry’s once again. The quick movement took Harry by surprise, but all he could do was pull Louis closer to him.

Louis moved against him, hands travelling through his hair, neck, and shoulders. They never once took their lips off of each other, even as the heat between them increased.

“H,” Louis said, breaking their lips apart to catch some air. “You're so wonderful. So beautiful. So full of light.”

He smiled, feeling Louis’ heat on his thigh. “I love you.”

At the speed of a blink, Louis put his lips back on Harry’s and began to take off Harry’s armour and clothes. By the time all that was left of Harry were his pants, Harry moved away.

“Wait, here?” There was a sudden panic to his voice, the realization of what they were about to do hitting him powerfully. “You wanna do this here?”

“Passion waits for no one, H,” he responded. Proceeding, Louis took off his shirt.

“But what if someone walks in?”

“It's the middle of the night, Harry. Nobody’ll walk in. Trust me.”

He did.

Harry could feel him now, could feel how hot he became as they went on. It was the most exhilarating thing he’d ever experienced. And he loved it.

And he was so hard. Louis was too.

Before they knew it, Louis was moving to sit up on the table, lips still attached to Harry’s. Harry lifted him up, feeling the softness of Louis’ asscheeks on his palms.

Once he was sat down, Louis got to work. He was stroking his member in one hand and stroking Harry's in the other. Harry groaned into the dip of Louis’ collarbone.

“You're so hard for me, Harry,” Louis whispered, he never stopped stroking their dicks.

“I know,” Harry moaned.

“I’m so hard for you too. Can't you feel it? How hard I am for you?”

He could, but he could barely nod as it was. “I can.”

The two were already a mess of chaotic kisses and sweat by the time Harry took Louis into his mouth. Louis’ hands gripped onto his curls tightly, as if he’d be turned into oblivion if he let go.

“Fuck,” Louis groaned. “You're so good to me, Harry. So fucking good.”

Harry hummed in response, the vibration making Louis more and more desperate for release.

“I don't wanna come yet,” he told Harry. In a swift motion, Harry got up and showered his lover’s neck with kisses. Louis’ skin was so soft, and so fragile. Harry loved it. “Please fuck me, Harry.”

“Are you sure?” Harry couldn't help but ask. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest. He wondered if Louis’ heart was doing the same.

Louis nodded, and Harry smiled. Planting one more kiss against his lips, Harry kneeled down. He found Louis’ hole almost immediately, spreading his cheeks apart and rubbing the rim gently with his forefinger. Louis was on his back now, bum right on the edge of the table. Harry could feel how tense he was as he continued playing with his hole.

It wasn't long before his finger entered Louis. Harry’d always had long fingers. They often helped in battle, allowing him to have a good grip on his Keyblade. He never thought they would make Louis act in this way. The boy was writhing under his touch, moaning and groaning as if they were the only two people on the planet.

As Harry fucked Louis with his hand, he kept adding more fingers. He was up to three now, and Louis was even more desperate than before. His hands were back in Harry's curls, grip tighter than ever.

“I’m ready, H,” he whined.

Harry stopped his movements. Scrambling through the dark floor, he took hold of his pants. In the pocket, he found a condom packet that Liam gave to him when he arrived to the Land of Departure for the exam. He had winked at him and said that once the exam was over, anything could happen.

Back then, it seemed silly. But now Harry was glad to have it.

He put the condom on, making sure to be quick and not leave Louis waiting. Once he was right against Louis’ entrance, Harry looked at him. He was sitting up now, and despite being all sweaty, flustered, and painfully hard against him, Louis had never looked more beautiful to Harry.

When Harry entered him it was like entering an entirely different dimension. Louis was still pretty tight, so Harry paused between his movements to give Louis a bit of breathing time.

“You feel so good,” Harry muttered, his words slurring with ecstasy. “I love you so much, so so much.”

Louis whimpered as Harry finally hit his prostate. Harry was so deep inside him, it felt unreal. As they moved against each other, Louis’ hands went from holding onto Harry’s biceps to fiddling with Harry’s Wayfinder, the only thing that was still on his body.

He kissed Harry’s neck, and as they kept going Harry felt himself getting closer and closer to the edge. Harry took hold of Louis’ member, stroking it and trying to get him to orgasm before it was all over. Louis kept moaning, his kisses becoming lazier with each passing second.

With a tight grip on the Wayfinder and a loud cry, Louis became undone. Streaks of white painted their bodies, and the adrenaline of it all became too much for Harry. He came seconds after Louis.

Both were breathing heavy, hearts beating against the other’s. Harry’s legs were exhausted; he could barely keep himself on his feet. He pressed a final kiss to Louis’ lips, and he pulled his softening member out of him.

“I’ve wanted that for so long,” he said, moving the curls out of his eyes. He suddenly felt very naked in front of Louis. Very naked and very awkward.

Louis only giggled, laying back onto the table before saying, “Me too, H. Me too.”

 

 

**☆**

 

 

After coming back from whatever world the previous hour had sent them to, the two boys were now dressed and had put everything back to its previous place. The room looked exactly how it had been when they first walked in; it was as if they were never there.

They went out and closed the door behind them. The outside air hit them instantly, their reddened faces now cooling down and going back to their normal state. Harry took Louis’ hand in his as they walked, the soft skin comforting him in the darkness. They had only made in back to the centre of Radiant Garden when Louis stopped in his tracks.

Harry furrowed his brow at the interruption. “What's wrong?”

Louis cleared his throat, visibly nervous to speak. “I don't want to go back. I want to stay with you.”

Harry sighed. “But what about Simon? Shouldn't we go and try to prove him wrong?”

He looked down. “I, uh, I don't know anymore. All I know is that my destiny lies with you. Not with Simon.”

The words made Harry’s features soften with adoration. But he knew that they couldn't give Simon the satisfaction of his power over Louis. That just wasn't fair.

Slowly, he took a step away from Louis. Harry’s hands found themselves groping the outside of his pant pockets. It only took a few seconds before they were able to locate the object he had hidden in them. He made sure to take it out gently, as breaking or fracturing the item was the last thing Harry wanted. And as the item made it’s way into Louis’ eyesight, Harry took note of how his eyes widened with surprise and confusion.

“What is that?” Louis asked him.

“This is a [paopu fruit](https://www.khwiki.com/images/6/63/Paopu_Fruit.png),” Harry explained, a smirk painted on his lips from the fond memories of the island. “The one I told you about a few days before the exam, remember? The fruit with the ‘unbreakable connection’ as Liam put it?”

The fruit was no bigger than the palm of Harry’s hand. It’s skin was fuzzy and did not fail to tickle the skin of Harry’s hand every time he moved it. The texture was something that not even Harry could describe; sort of like how one would find a peach to feel like. Harry definitely found the paopu to be beautiful in appearance, but he could only imagine what it would taste like.

Louis nodded along to Harry’s words, eyes fixed on the fruit that laid in front of him. “So you actually found it, huh? I guess star-shaped fruits really do exist.”

Harry continued to stare at it, he couldn't bring himself to break the gaze. “I guess they do.”

“You know, those charms that you made looked pretty similar to this. Which is kind of impressive since you had no idea what the actual fruit looked like.”

“I know. I, uh, I didn’t think I would’ve actually come across it,” Harry told Louis in all his honesty. “But I was glad that I did.”

A pregnant pause fell upon the two boys, who just stared and studied the fruit in Harry’s palm. Harry knew Louis was probably confused as to why Harry had brought the fruit with him. After all, they had their Wayfinders. So they didn’t necessarily need the paopu, right?

Harry cleared his throat and handed the fruit to Louis. “Here, take it.”

Louis’ eyes widened even further than before. “Huh?”

“Just eat it,” he told him with a cheeky smile.

“But why?”

“Because,” he explained, “once you eat it our destinies will always be connected. Even if Simon tries to get in the way of that, it won't work. We’ll always be a part of each other.”

“Are you sure?” Louis asked, his extended hand shaking slightly. “Even with the darkness lurking in my heart?”

Harry lifted his shoulders in the manner of a shrug. “The darkness may be taking a large part of your heart, but that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be any light in it either.”

And with that, Louis gently took the paopu from Harry’s palm. He took a small bite from it and handed it back to Harry, who looked at Louis in utter fascination. Shakily, Harry repeated Louis’ action, except taking the bite from the opposite end of the fruit. The sweet, rich flavour engulfed his tongue, and Harry wondered if that was the flavour of heaven. The flavour of light.

They finished the fruit like that, taking one bite before passing it back and forth between one another. Harry made sure to savour the taste every time his teeth sunk into the body of the fruit.

About twenty minutes had passed and the fruit was no longer a physical object outside of their bodies. Harry and Louis were sat on one of the benches with one of the books Louis had been studying. Harry rest his head on the crook of Louis’ neck and his fingers rubbed shapes into the skin of Louis’ arm as Louis read some of the memorable passages he had encountered during his studies to Harry. Harry closed his eyes and listened to the cool rhythm of Louis’ voice.

“‘... _flowers bloom in abundance, and the people face each day with hopeful smiles. But where there is light, darkness also lurks.’_ ”

Louis paused his reading for a second, as if gathering the thoughts in his head. In a slow motion, he pressed a kiss to Harry’s forehead. Harry couldn’t stop himself from smiling because of that. Then, he spoke again softly: “Hey, H?”

Harry lifted his head from Louis’ shoulder, his emerald eyes meeting the soft blue pair of irises. “Yeah?”

“You’re the only piece of light in my world of darkness.” And then Louis took Harry’s hand in his, pressing a sweet kiss onto the pale skin.

 

 

**☆**

 

 

Harry wrapped his arms around Niall’s torso, engulfing him in a departing hug. Liam then followed, repeating Harry’s action. And although Louis had barely spent any time with Niall, having just met him a few days prior, Louis still hugged him goodbye.

“We’ll miss you, Nialler,” Liam said to him, a slight chuckle in his voice. “I don’t know how we’ll survive without your stories and terrible jokes.”

Niall rolled his eyes, trying to keep his laughter from escaping his throat. “Same goes for your annoying facts about every world we went to Mr. Know-It-All.”

Liam laughed, fondness sparkling in his eyes.

Harry and Louis watched the pair of boys from a safe distance away. Harry was smirking at Liam and Niall, he knew about how close they had gotten over the course of a week. It was a unique sight for Harry to have seen, although it kind of reminded him of how quickly his and Louis’ relationship had also grown back at the Land of Departure.

The memories of how happy and simple those times were had transformed into blurs in Harry’s mind. Knowing everything that Louis had told him completely butchered those memories, and now all Harry could think of were the lies that Simon had told them.

Harry’s smirk soon turned into a frown.

“Is everything alright, love?” Louis asked Harry. The melody of his voice brought Harry back into their reality, although most of it wasn’t much different than what Harry’s thoughts were like at that moment.

It took Harry a few seconds to realize that Louis had taken his hand, holding it securely in his palm. Harry’s heart lurched at the contact. “Yeah, everything’s fine,” he lied.

Louis smiled, buying Harry’s lie. Immediately, he pulled Harry towards him, so that their chests almost touched. Louis leaned forwards, pressing a soft kiss onto Harry’s lips.

Harry’s heart convulsed.

“I love you,” Louis said as soon as their lips parted. His wide eyes roamed Harry’s face, as if trying to memorize every inch of it in the span of a few seconds. Harry did the same. “I love you so much, Harry.”

“I love you, too,” Harry replied, biting his lip shortly after.

“Are you two done?” Liam’s voice cut through the air, disrupting the beautiful moment between the two boys. Liam stood only a few feet away from the two, arms crossed across his chest. “Because as much as I enjoy watching you two suck face right in front of me, Simon’s probably wondering why this trip took so much more longer than necessary. We need to get back.”

Liam had no idea about the real conflict between Simon and Louis, and neither Louis nor Harry were planning on telling him. As far as they both knew, Liam and Simon had a pretty healthy relationship. Some things are better left alone, after all.

“Alright,” Harry said, rolling his eyes at Liam. However, his hand remained connected to Louis’, as he knew it made him feel safe and protected. He turned towards him. “Are you ready to go back?”

Although Harry could see that he was still unsure about his answer, he nodded his head regardless. “Yeah,” was his reply.

They both knew it was the right thing to do ; they had to make sure their little dilemma was resolved once and for all.

(Also, Harry was hoping that if they ended up successful, Louis would end up being a Keyblade Master without retaking his exam. That way they would finally get to explore more worlds together.)

But Harry could only hope.

The trio began walking together, away from Niall’s home and out to the central square. But suddenly a small thought popped into the surface of Harry’s mind, making him forget about the near future they were about to experience. He stopped walking, causing Louis to be pulled back slightly in the process. He looked at Harry confusedly before Harry spoke.

“Actually, there’s something I wanted to do first.”

 

**☆**

 

The heat that radiated from the sun’s rays caused Harry’s brow to perspire. It was an incredibly bright day for the Destiny Islands, and Harry had to squint his eyes in order to actually see anything. He held his Keyblade in his hand, his long fingers gripping on the weapon tightly, as if afraid to drop it.

His eyes continued to search for her, somehow knowing that she’d be on this same island, the one where they had first met. She was probably playing with her friends, unaware that she held the key to something important.

Harry frowned as soon as he realized that he had walked around the entire perimeter of the island. Opal was nowhere to be seen.

Maybe she was on the main island?

A shrilling laugh caught Harry’s attention. He perked up, a small smile overtaking his frown with hope rushing through his veins. A tiny figure emerged from the bushes, running towards the island shore. Harry’s smile widened at the sight, as he was able to recognize the child as the one he had met not so long ago. Little Opal.

However, little Opal must have been too concentrated on whatever game she had been playing or what she was doing, as she did not even notice Harry standing only a few feet away from her. To Harry, it seemed as if she was hiding from something.

Harry called out her name, his primary instinct to protect unraveling itself. When she didn’t respond, Harry called out her name again, this time taking a few steps towards her waddling figure. As Harry repeated this for a third time, Opal finally turned her head towards him in curiosity.

A huge grin took over her face as she saw Harry standing there, as so she ran towards him instead, any other thoughts that were fixed in her head suddenly disappearing.

“Harry!” Opal exclaimed, arms outstretched as she ran. Harry couldn’t help but laugh at her excited expression, she was quite an adorable child. “You’re still here!”

“Actually I was gone for a while,” Harry told her as she stopped right in front of him, “but then I came back. I wanted to ask you something, you see.”

“Oh, okay." Harry could just _feel_ the pure light radiate off of her. She arched her eyebrow questioningly at him. “What is it?”

Harry smiled at her, then crouched down to her height so he could talk to her more efficiently. He held up his Keyblade so that it would face them both horizontally. Opal’s bright eyes landed on the weapon, but even as she stared there was still some confusion remaining.

Harry spoke first.

“Do you know what this is?”

Opal shook her head.

“This is a Keyblade,” Harry explained. “It’s a weapon, and it’s main purpose is to protect those who are in need of help. Those who have one of these are proved to have good and strong hearts, and will put others before themselves.”

The younger girl nodded as Harry talked, trying to truly understand what he was saying. But she remained silent, not knowing what to say, exactly.

Harry noticed this, and he raised his Keyblade higher between them. “I want you to inherit this Keyblade from me. I believe that your will and heart are strong enough to help those around you. You have a heart full of light, full of goodness, and I know you will be able to use that to the best of your ability.”

Opal stared at Harry with wide eyes. Without a moment’s hesitation, she placed her hand atop the large weapon, unknowingly initiating the last part of the [ceremony](https://www.khwiki.com/Bequeathing). Harry beamed at this.

“You want me to have this?” Opal asked, referring to the weapon she held in her hand.

Harry nodded. “Yeah. Well, not necessarily _this_ Keyblade. This one’s mine, of course. But when you’re older you’ll have your own. Do you think you can handle it, Opal?”

He could see the eyes of his successor brighten with his words; she probably knew how important this was.

“Yeah,” she finally said, taking her hand off the Keyblade and smiling. “I can handle it.”

Harry let out a short chuckle in response to her optimism, then brought her into a warm hug. He swayed her side by side as she hugged him back, and all Harry could think of was how great of a Keyblade wielder Opal would be one day.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go!  
> -Luna


	4. Part IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I can't believe this is the final chapter! Aah!  
> I may have cried a few tears while writing this. (It is quite sad, I'm sorry.)
> 
> Also, just a head's up! There is some violence in this part, however, it's not too descriptive as it should be similar to the MoM Exam scene in Part II.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

 

 

**Part IV**

 

 

It was late afternoon when Harry arrived back to the Land of Departure. Dusk was just beginning to cast over the sky, and Harry couldn’t help but wonder where Louis was. Harry had told him to go on without him while he went back to the Destiny Islands, but there was now a worried sentiment in Harry that caused him to wonder if Louis actually listened to him or not. Harry hoped that he did.

After searching through the entirety of the building in which Louis and Harry lived, Harry found himself to be unsuccessful in his search. He couldn’t find neither Simon nor Louis. The other students were nowhere to be seen either, which only worried Harry even more. It was crazy how empty everything felt.

Stepping outside their living quarters, Harry gaped in amazement at the sky, which was just beginning to tint orange with the paint of dusk. He absolutely loved this world, he loved the beauty of it. He loved the peace and serenity that it brought, and a part of Harry wished deep in his thoughts that he wouldn’t have to leave it, that he and Louis could live here together for the rest of their lives.

Harry’s eyes wandered around the sky above him, and as he did so he took note of the two shadows standing on top of the hill of the summit, their dark outlines contrasting against the bright orange sky. That was when Harry came to the realization that those two figures had to be Louis and Simon.

Harry ran towards the summit.

He ran until his feet couldn’t take the action anymore.

Upon arriving there, Harry could see that he was right; those two figures _were_ Simon and Louis. The two were standing in front of each other, and Louis stood so that his back was to Harry. For Simon it was the opposite as he held his Keyblade out in front of him. Harry didn’t even care to notice what was happening between the two, as all he cared about was getting to Louis.

“Lou!” Harry called out, only a few paces away from him. “Louis!”

Louis didn’t turn around. And so Harry tried again, only to receive the same result.

He stopped running, mostly out of confusion. Why did Louis ignore him? Harry knew his voice was loud enough for Louis to be able to hear him. That was when he stopped and really looked at the scene that was enfolding in front of him:

Simon, who was holding out his Keyblade with dark, wild eyes, seemed ready to attack. Louis, who still stood with his back to Harry and with empty, open hands, appeared to be paralyzed with fear.

“...no heart of darkness should have the ability to wield such a powerful weapon, let alone become a Keyblade Master.” Harry couldn't believe that this was Simon speaking. “Which is why the destiny you’ll meet, Louis, will take place where all hearts of darkness belong. I will have to send you to th--”

“What the hell is going on?” Harry asked, eyes flickering between Simon and Louis. The sudden abruptness of his voice must have finally taken effect, as both Louis _and_ Simon turned to look at him.

As soon as Louis’ eyes met Harry’s, Harry could feel his heart crack open in two. Several cuts and bruises cloaked the skin of Louis’ face and arms, with streaks of blood accompanying them. The tears that were flowing down Louis’ cheeks were heavy, almost seeming as if they were trying to wash away the blood. Harry’s heart was set aflame by the anger burning inside him.

“Harry?” The teacher asked, eyes wide with disbelief.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Simon?” Harry asked again, his voice rising with emotion. He stepped towards Simon and in front of Louis, the Keyblade that once hung from his waist now in his hand and outstretched in front of him, ready to strike if needed.

Simon sighed, lowering his Keyblade slightly. “You know what, Harry? I really wished you wouldn’t have been here for this. In truth, I hoped that you would have been light years away from this world, now that you’re a Keyblade Master.”

“What? Why?”

“Because then you would be out there saving people, rescuing them from the darkness in their hearts and the darkness in their worlds.”

Even just hearing the word ‘darkness’ sent shivers down Harry’s spine. He really just hated hearing the word now, some sort of taboo forming around it.

“You would be saving people from the monstrosities of darkness, from monsters like _him_ ,” Simon explained, referring to the trembling boy that stood behind him. Louis, his beautiful Louis.

Simon's words boiled Harry's blood. Louis? A monster?

No way.

“Excuse me, Simon,” Harry began, the grip on his weapon tightening, “but Louis is no monster. Just because some darkness resides inside him doesn’t mean he’s dangerous. There’s darkness in everyone, and it’s not something we can control. I bet you have darkness hidden in you, Simon, and I bet I have some in me, too.

“Louis is the kindest, most caring person I know. He would never hurt anyone if it weren’t in self-defense, and you know how skilled he is in combat. In the past couple of years that I’ve known him he’s only shown off the darkness once. _Once!_ I bet that’s less than most Keyblade wielders could manage. Darkness or no darkness, I believe that Louis is more than capable of becoming a Keyblade Master, and I pity you for being so blind that you’re not able to see something like that.”

A pause fell upon the three, Simon and Louis taking in all of Harry’s words. Harry had never thought that he would’ve been able to say such things like that to Simon. A small hand made its way around Harry’s waist comfortingly, and Harry could already tell that it was Louis’. He felt Louis press a short kiss to the back of his neck before whispering a quiet, “I love you.”

But then Simon started laughing. _Laughing._

And then the mood was ruined.

“You really are a naïve boy, Harry,” Simon said, some of the chuckles still managing to escape him. Harry arched his eyebrow in confusion. “I really am surprised that you, of all people, weren’t able to detect the amount of darkness in Louis’ heart. Like you said, I've been training Louis for years. I've seen his darkness develop, watched it grow in him. Did you know that more than half of his heart is darkness? That is so much more than a regular person’s, wouldn’t you say? Usually when a person’s heart is mostly darkness, it’s extremely difficult to control it. Almost impossible.”

Harry felt his blood turn cold. He had never heard of a case like this before. If what Simon was saying was actually true, then Louis _was_ practically made of darkness.

“For the past three years I’ve been trying to help him control that darkness,” Simon continued. “Someone that’s as skilled and as strong as Louis should only demonstrate the light. Because if he were ever to let his heart get taken over by the darkness, there’d be no way for him to escape it. Everything would turn to chaos!”

“But hurting him is no way to do that! Don’t you think that maybe the power of darkness could be used for good? Everyone has darkness in them anyway, so why can’t we just learn to balance it instead?”

Simon laughed once again, shaking his head as he did so. “That’s easy for you to say. Are you even aware of your own potential, Harry?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your heart is all light! You have no traces of darkness within you! That was why I took you in; the universe needs more people like you, Harry. They’re in need of people who can take away the darkness so they can live in a world of light and goodness. They’re all scared, they don’t want a balance.”

Was that true? Was Harry’s heart really made of light? Did he really have no signs of darkness in him?

Harry pushed his thoughts aside. “Maybe you’re the one that’s scared, Simon. Those people out there, they’d understand that light cannot exist without darkness, that our world is already balanced. I’ve been to Radiant Garden, and they have thousands of books on this stuff. And you trying to change what makes our universe stable is the true evil. _That’s_ what will bring us to chaos.”

Harry was out of breath by the time he uttered that last word. It was something about the intensity of the scenario that caused him to react in this way. But he knew that it had to be done or they’d get nowhere. He could still feel Louis’ desperate presence from behind him. He could still feel him shaking.

For a second it felt as if Simon was actually considering Harry’s words. The dark strength of his eyes had diminished by a bit, and his hands had lowered his weapon once again. Harry felt the hope that rested inside him build up, and a rush of relief travelled through him.

“It really is sad,” said Simon, “how wrong you two are.”

And the tower of hope had been crushed to the ground.

“I’ve lived long enough to know that the way you two think would only create false wishes. And I find it really hard to believe that two of my smartest students would bring themselves to think in such a way. But I guess that life is full of disappointments, right?”

“What are you saying Simon?” Harry asked him, his throat beginning to dry up.

“I’m saying that, as unfortunate as it may be, I’ll have to put an end to the both of you.”

The amount of time between Louis’ and Harry’s gasps and the rays of lightning Simon summoned with his Keyblade was too short. Before Harry had any time to do anything, he could feel the electricity burn throughout his body, sending him into a wave of spasms as he sunk to the floor.

Simon was skilled; he had all the powerful magic in the universe. Harry was no match against him.

With all his strength, Harry took his Keyblade and sent Simon flying into an uncontrollable anti-gravity field. That should keep him from attacking for a few minutes. He tried standing up, but the after effects from the thunderous magic remained. Harry fell to the ground again. He looked behind him, where Louis supposedly was.

Louis looked stricken, not knowing what to do exactly. He turned to where Harry laid, blue eyes taking in his helpless position. “Don’t worry Haz,” he told him, seizing his Keyblade, which had been knocked to the ground in the first wave of attacks. “I got you into this in the first place, and I’ll get you out of it, too.”

And with that, Louis ran towards Simon with his Keyblade ready. Louis jumped up in order to reach Simon’s location. He was still struggling against the field of anti-gravity, giving Louis an advantage. While Louis’ legs were pretty short, his Keyblade had an amazing reach, meaning that when he moved to pierce the weapon against Simon’s left arm, the hit was an absolute success.

Harry was in complete awe as he watch the battle in front of him develop. He had never seen Louis move with such determination, and the way he managed to avoid all of Simon’s attacks was something completely out of Harry’s imagination.

The pulses of electricity that ran through Harry’s blood were subtle now. This allowed him to finally get up from the ground and join the fight. Just like during their Mark of Mastery exam, Harry summoned giant shards of ice with a simple move of his Keyblade. He directed them to travel to where Simon was located, and when they reached his body, Simon was lunged to the ground just like Harry was a few moments earlier.

Louis and Harry had all the advantages now.

Harry ran towards Louis, summoning a ball of fire this time while he ran. The ball hurled its way towards where Simon laid and engulfed him in flames. Harry knew that the armour Simon wore would keep him somewhat safe, but at least there was still some damage being made.

Simon remained motionless on the grass after that final attack.

Harry and Louis stood side by side, Harry taking hold of Louis’ hand on instinct. He kissed his knuckles, whispering words of love into them like he did the previous night in the library. Louis’ fingers entangled themselves in the messy curls of Harry’s hair; he was out of breath, and Harry could tell he was on the verge of passing out from his previous encounter with Simon.

“I guess we make an amazing team,” Louis told Harry, his voice barely a breath. Harry chuckled lightly. “I love you so much, Harry.”

“I love you, too,” Harry replied, his free hand making it’s way to palm Louis’ cheek. “Fuck, you keep trembling. I need to get you somewhere safe. Away from Simon.” Harry knew that fire spell could only keep him unconscious for so long.

Louis nodded his head frantically in agreement. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go.”

They could only take a few steps together before Harry felt himself being pushed away from Louis by a gush of wind, spinning and controlling him like a tornado. Harry felt himself getting dizzier and dizzier with each passing second. He kept screaming, as he had never felt a wind as strong and powerful as this one. He felt the nausea build up inside him.

He wanted Louis. He needed Louis. Where was Louis?

Louis was the last person in his thoughts before the force of the wind stopped abruptly and Harry felt his head and back hit the harsh ground. Louis was the last word he could even whisper before his vision turned into a blurred mess. Louis was the only thing Harry wished to protect as the sun finally set and everything in Harry’s world turned pitch black.

 

**☆**

 

Harry woke up with the softest touch of raindrops falling on his cheeks. His eyes wandered above him, seeing only the dark night sky and the clouds that covered the stars. He attempted to get up, using his arms as leverage. His head still felt heavy, with the ounces of nausea remaining in his body. As Harry sat up he felt a terrible pain shoot up his back, and he groaned loudly in response before falling back to his previous position.

To Harry, it felt like hours had passed since falling into unconsciousness. He wondered what had happened, since everything around him seemed to be much too quiet. Too still. But Harry could barely move as it was, could barely breathe as the wind was literally knocked out of him earlier.

What had happened? Was everything okay? Was Louis okay?

Harry’s thoughts were soon drowned out by the distant sound of heavy sobs. In confusion, Harry carefully turned his body to the side to take a look at the sudden commotion. It was still dark outside, so Harry still had to make his eyes adjust to the little light surrounding him.

The best his eyes could do was allow him to see a dark figure crouched down a few meters in front of him. Their back was to Harry, meaning that Harry could not identify them. Once again, Harry tried to stand, this time being a lot more successful than the last. Surprisingly, Harry managed to walk slowly towards the mysterious figure, his feet not making a sound as he did.

The closer Harry got to the person, the more improved his vision got. He could now make out the details of the scenario, giving Harry a larger understanding of the situation.

It wasn't long before Harry was able to recognize the person to be Louis. A rush of relief flooded his veins. Louis was safe. Thank god.

But something felt… different. At once, Harry felt that the atmosphere had gotten heavier with every step he took towards him. It couldn't have been the rain, as it had only just begun to rain slightly, a few drops here and there. The heaviness felt almost familiar to Harry, like he'd experienced it before.

Harry stopped abruptly in his tracks. He _had_ experienced this feeling before.

The memory of the day of their Mark of Mastery exam flashed briefly in Harry’s mind. He remembered it much too clearly. It was the same kind of atmosphere, its weight heavy with the power of darkness.

The power of darkness.

Harry's eyes travelled to Louis’ crouched figure. He was still sobbing, not taking notice of the boy he loved standing right behind him. Harry wanted to place his hand on his shoulder, he wanted to comfort Louis. But for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

He could feel the darkness. It was everywhere.

Curiosity took over Harry, and he looked to what laid in front of Louis. His eyes widened in shock when he saw Simon laying there, face and body covered in burns and blood. But that wasn’t what made Harry sink to his knees in response to the disturbing sight.

It was the sight of Simon’s own Keyblade puncturing his chest.

He let out a shaky breath, knowing exactly what had caused this to happen. After all, it only made sense to Harry. The amounts of darkness in the air, Simon’s unpleasant death, Louis sobbing. Harry had started something that could not be undone.

Harry scrambled, ignoring the pain in his back as he tried to crawl away from the nauseating scene. But he must have made too much noise, as Louis turned around almost instantly.

“H-Harry?”

Harry stopped moving, unable to speak. All he could do was stare at the boy in front of him with his mouth agape.

Louis.

His precious Louis was gone.

Appearance wise, he still looked the same as before he fell unconscious. His skin pale with terror, eyes as blue as the ocean, face as beautiful as it had always been. But Harry could feel that something had changed, like a switch had been flipped. It wasn’t some sort of science or anything. Harry just knew.

“You’re okay,” Louis muttered, moving his body closer to Harry’s.

But Harry only scrambled back further. He could feel the darkness increase every time Louis got closer. Harry hated this. He hated having to force himself away from the one person he loved. But he was scared. He had no clue what was happening and he was scared.

“The darkness…” Harry whispered. “Oh Louis, what have we done?”

This caused Louis to stop moving and give Harry a confused look. “What are you talking about, Haz?”

“I can feel it,” Harry tried to explain. “The darkness. It’s taken over your heart. It’s everywhere, Lou. It’s _everywhere_.”

Louis then stood, the confused look still in his eyes. He walked towards Harry, his Keyblade held limply in his hand. Harry stood up soon after, mostly out of anxiety and fear, and let out a groan from the pain he felt in his spine.

Louis reached out to Harry once he believed that he would fall down as a result from the hit he took. But even the simplest touch from Louis caused unfriendly shivers to run down Harry’s arms. So, he pulled away from Louis’ hold, shocking both Louis and himself.

“Simon,” Harry said, voice thick with emotion. “He’s dead, isn’t he?”

Louis nodded, bringing his hand to rest at the back of his neck. “I don’t know what happened. One second you hit the ground hard, and then next Simon was in--”

“You let the darkness take over you, Louis. That’s what happened.”

Louis’ lip quivered. He was trying not to cry, Harry could tell. “I-I didn’t… I didn’t mean for that to happen. I got mad, Harry. I thought you were dead! I thought Simon…”

He couldn’t even finish his sentence. A tear rolled down Louis’ cheek. “Harry, I am so sorry.” He tried to reach Harry again. But Harry took two steps back.

All Harry could manage to do was shake his head at Louis. Not that he was disappointed, but he just couldn’t believe that he let something like this happen. He had allowed Louis’ greatest fear to become a reality. How could Harry live with himself after that?

And so Harry ran.

He ran and he could feel Louis chase after him. He had to find a way to escape from that place, he had to go somewhere to drown in his thoughts. He couldn’t face Louis, not right now. Not after everything that just happened.

Louis was able to catch up with Harry quite easily. Harry felt Louis’ cold skin touch his forearm, but in return Harry instinctively summoned a barrier in the shape of a sphere to keep him from making contact with him. The invisible barrier, which Louis stood in front of, was enough to keep a safe distance between the two. Harry stood inside the sphere, watching Louis silently.

Slowly, Louis placed his hand against the transparent barrier. The tears kept spilling down his cheeks, and Harry realized that this was the first time he had ever seen Louis like this. He felt incredibly guilty for it, but he was still experiencing too many aftershocks for him to actually do something about it.

Harry could feel Louis’ eyes on him. They were pleading, begging for him to erase the barrier and to go back to him. Harry did no such thing. He shook his head, hoping that Louis would understand.

But regardless of his confusing feelings, he brought his hand up to the barrier, aligning it with Louis’ palm. They stared at each other like that for a while, green eyes meeting blue, hands aligned in the way that they were meant to be.

One heart of light. One heart of darkness. Despite their contrast, you could say that they completed each other.

The serene moment didn’t last long, much to Harry’s disappointment, as the little brilliance that remained in Louis’ eyes suddenly disappeared. Soon, all that was left were eyes the color of the sea caught up in a raging storm.

In the span of a second, Louis lifted his Keyblade and aimed its strike just above where his hand met the barrier. Its blade penetrated the magic glass, shattering the heart of the sphere. Harry quickly removed his hand and jumped back, the sudden action taking him by surprise. Turning his Keyblade in a horizontal motion, Louis managed to break through the front of the obstacle, sending the shattered pieces flying in the air.

Out of fear, Harry removed what was left of the circular obstacle, allowing Louis to get closer to him.

The darkness must have made Harry unrecognizable to Louis, as Louis immediately swung at him with the weapon. Harry brought up his Keyblade, blocking the hit. Although he was mostly skilled with magic, Harry was strong. Using all the force in his body, he pushed back, causing Louis to take some steps backward at his disadvantage. Once Harry felt like he was now dominant in the fight, he threw Louis off him, sending him flying back a few paces.

Louis, however, did not give up. He tossed his Keyblade at Harry in a spinning motion, aiming at the curly boy’s head. Harry ducked, avoiding what could have been a deathly hit. But clearly, that wasn’t all that Louis had in store, as he immediately conjured and blasted a fiery dark energy, hitting Harry straight in the chest.

He had never encountered that kind of magic before. Never seen or heard about anything like it, either.

Harry fell to the ground, the force of the dark energy being too much for him to handle. It felt like the energy was seeping through his skin and clothes, burning and disintegrating him. Steadily, he sat back up, the light in his eyes immediately connecting with the newly unburied darkness in Louis’.

Louis stood in front of him, Keyblade hanging loosely through his fingers.

They continued to stare at each other, neither saying a word. Harry wanted to tell Louis to be strong, that this wasn’t him. That he wasn’t this vessel for the darkness. He wanted to tell him that he was Louis, the love of his life. That he was the brightest source of light in his life.

Louis raised his Keyblade, pointing it at Harry.

Harry knew what was coming. He knew what that move meant.

He begged Louis with his eyes, as he was too afraid to speak. He was scared that any sort of noise that came from him would push Louis to do it. He knew.

_Please, Louis. Please._

The light in Louis’ eyes reappeared, burning out the darkness that had taken over. He dropped his Keyblade, and it landed with a soft thump against the grass. The realization of what he was about to do must have settled into his mind, as he soon dropped to his knees, fresh tears managing to escape the violent storm of his eyes.

“No,” he breathed out, simply looking at Harry. “No, no, no…”

A shaky breath left Harry’s lips as he moved to stand up.

“I… I’m so sorry, Harry. I…” There was deep remorse in Louis’ voice. More tears fell down Louis’ cheeks. “Fuck, I’m so sorry.”

Harry shook his head. “Louis, this was all my fault--”

“I--fuck!--I can’t believe I was--”

“Louis.”

He was crawling back now, away from Harry. Staring at the ground below him, he continued muttering apologetic words, not knowing that they were too slurred for Harry to understand. Harry simply stared at him, attempting and failing to come up with ways to get him to calm down.

Harry needed to get them both out of there. He’d probably end up taking Louis back to Radiant Garden; maybe Niall would take them in for a couple of days.

Too caught up in his mess of thoughts, Harry didn’t notice the pathway that Louis was now conjuring up on the ground behind him. It was made out of darkness, Harry could tell, the corridor itself demonstrating nothing but a viscous pool of dark energy. It was angled diagonally behind Louis, as if waiting for someone to jump down...

Louis must have summoned it unknowingly, Harry assumed. No. He _hoped_.

He kept moving back, still not taken notice of the dark corridor that he was moving towards.

Harry spoke up as an attempt to stop him. “Louis, stop!”

Louis paid no attention, as he was still caught up in his own thoughts. Harry moved quickly towards him, taking hold of Louis’ feet once he got close enough. This stopped Louis from moving back any further.

“Louis!”

Louis looked at Harry with distraught eyes. Harry could see the pain behind them. He hated how he could see so much pain. “I-I have to ge-get out of here.”

He pulled his feet away from Harry’s hold, much like Harry had done to Louis earlier. He got up to his feet, taking a few brief seconds to look at Harry before turning and heading towards the dark pathway.

“No!” Harry cried out, running to catch up with Louis. “Louis!”

It was only a few seconds before Harry’s arms were around Louis’ waist, lifting and pulling him away from the mysterious corridor. Louis struggled against Harry, moving and kicking as an attempt to get him to let go. Harry remained strong, tightening the grip he had on Louis.

Once Harry managed to get them to switch positions so that he was now in front of the corridor, Harry began to let go of the scuffling boy. He was only successful for the first few seconds. A short, but harsh, kick and push from Louis as his final attempt to escape Harry’s grasp was all it took for Harry to stumble back and fall into the dark pathway.

Harry found himself falling into the dark abyss.

The pathway in front of him closed up, leaving a transfixed Louis behind.

 

**☆**

 

Darkness.

That was all Harry could feel. It was on the surface of his skin, on the fabric of his unwashed clothes, seeping through the ends of his curls. It was everywhere.

If this was the Harry from a week ago, the Harry that was about to take his Mark of Mastery exam, he might have felt frightened. Maybe even too terrified for his mind and body to function properly. But that Harry was gone, and with everything he had learned over the past couple of days, he was never to return.

He gripped his Keyblade tightly in the palm of his hand as he walked through the misty breezes and shadowy pathways, very much aware of where he was. The [Realm of Darkness](https://www.khwiki.com/Realm_of_Darkness) was no place for a heart of pure light. Harry had heard the stories, of what lurked behind every rock and every tree down in the realm. How the strongest forces of darkness resided there, and how they can come to destroy any source of light.

Harry gulped at that last thought, almost insignificantly faltering in his steps. Simon didn’t tell him those stories, as they were tales that had been around since Harry’s childhood, before he was even able to wield the Keyblade. That fact, along with the eeriness of the realm’s atmosphere, only made those stories a lot more credible. Harry had never thought he’d live to see the day he would actually believe in those stories, as he had always thought they were simply just tales meant to scare children.

A low rumble from the nearby forest caused Harry’s shoulders to tense up. He hadn’t even been in the Realm of Darkness for ten minutes and there were already creatures attempting to scare the shit out of him. Harry couldn’t help but let out a shaky breath in response to the sounds.

Mentally brushing aside the noise, Harry took a deep breath and resumed his walk further and further into the depths of the Dark Realm. He knew there had to be some sort of exit somewhere, it didn’t make any sense for this realm to only have a one-way route.

The pathway that directed Harry through the realm didn’t do much for him. It ended up leading him to the end of a tall cliff. Not much could be seen from the cliff, as the darkness and shadows took up most of Harry’s vision. Harry sighed, taking one last look around him before casting a spell on himself and jumping off the rocky cliff.

The spell he had used was supposed to slow the movements of his body for a limited time. This meant that as he jumped, Harry wouldn’t fall as fast as he normally would, cutting down the chances of injuring himself down to a minimum. It was a very beneficial spell, Harry thought, even if Simon and Louis didn’t think of it in that manner.

Harry landed gently on his feet at the base of the cliff. He looked in front of him, searching for any type of route or pathway that might lead him to an exit. He had to find some way to escape the realm, there was no way he was just stuck here.

With the last strings of hope hanging from the ends of his heart, Harry continued walking.

But it was like with every step Harry took, any traces of hope that remained in him slowly broke away from him, scattering behind him on the pitch-black gravel beneath his feet. It felt like it had been years since he had arrived in the realm, with too many unknown groans and noises haunting his every turn. All that Harry feared at that moment, was the possibility of him becoming insane.

A sound of rustling on his right was what caused him to halt in his steps once again. Harry felt his stomach drop at the sudden noise, as it was both unexpected and too close in proximity. He held his Keyblade out, ready to attack at any necessary moment.

A small creature emerged from the nearby bushes, almost causing Harry to drop his Keyblade in surprise. The creature itself was pure black with a circular head and eyes of a striking yellow color, almost as bright as the sun had been on the morning of Harry’s Mark of Mastery exam. It wasn’t very tall, it’s height matching the one of Harry’s knee cap. It beared no mouth and no nose, with two large antennas sprouting from the top of it’s head.

Harry had never seen a [creature](https://www.khwiki.com/Heartless) like this before; he had never encountered one in the realm above.

Luckily, the creature didn’t seem to act aggressive towards Harry in any way, instead waddling around the area around Harry’s feet harmlessly. Harry slowly lowered his Keyblade with the intention of walking past the little thing and resuming on his journey.

But the sudden movement of Harry’s leg must have triggered the creature somehow, as it immediately turned it’s head towards Harry. He stopped in his tracks, the speed of his breathing already beginning to increase. Intrigued, the creature moved closer and closer to Harry, faster than its previous speed. The yellow of its eyes seemed to glow brighter with mischief. It briefly lifted its hand as the distance between it and Harry shrunk in size, the three sharp claws it had for fingers visible for the first time.

Harry panicked.

With a shaking hand, he raised his Keyblade and swung it with a horizontal slash. He felt a wave of darkness cut through the air. Harry had decapitated the small creature, and the darkness that had escaped from the wound rose and linked itself with it’s surroundings. What remained of the creature’s body fell floppily to the ground, unmoving.

Harry tightened his grip on his Keyblade and ran.

He didn’t stop running until he had to gasp for air, until his legs ached with exhaustion and discomfort. Harry found himself bent over at a small angle when he finally stopped, trying to inhale all the air that he could possibly get inside his lungs. His free hand held the side of his hip, as it had cramped up in the middle of his run a few minutes prior.

A loud sob escaped his lips as he lost the last few pieces of hope that had remained within him. A tear ran down his cheek, surprisingly the first one he had shed since arriving at the realm.

He missed Louis. So much.

He could have sworn that he would’ve broken down right there and then on the gravel road beneath him if the sound of crashing waves hadn’t caught his attention. Turning his head and trying to locate the origin of the noise, Harry noticed that the road he had taken had led him to some sort of shoreline.

Despite the aching of his feet, Harry moved towards it, stopping just where the water seemed to reach it’s maximum distance on the shore. Harry sat down on that small margin, a few more tears managing to escape from him. Looking out into the space in front of him, Harry could see the soft, white glow of a moon up in the sky, the small amounts of light it omitted reflecting off of the waves.

Harry took a shaky breath, setting his Keyblade down on the ground beside him. As far as he knew, he was alone, and everything around him was silent except for the crashing waves. He just couldn’t believe how fast everything had broken apart over the course of the past week:

He had received his Mark of Mastery, but lost his teacher.

He finally got the light of his life to love him back, but then he lost him to darkness.

He lost _Louis_. And now Harry had no idea whether or not he might see him again.

He could feel an object almost pierce into the center of his chest, sending shivers of discomfort down his spine. His hands reached for the object underneath his shirt. It was his Wayfinder, Harry realized. He had almost completely forgotten about it.

The object itself could only remind Harry of the events that had occurred in the past week. He hoped Louis was being strong for him; he hoped he still had his Wayfinder with him. It was the only gift Harry had given him that could thoroughly express his love for him.

Harry clutched the Wayfinder to his chest, shutting his eyes closed and hoping--no, _praying_ \-- for some sort of miracle to take place.

And as he sat on the shores of the realm all alone, Harry recalled the words Simon had said back in the Land of Departure, before Louis put an end to his life. He remembered him saying how there is no way to escape the power of darkness once it took over. He remembered how he sounded so sure, so confident about it.

Harry opened his eyes and stared at his Wayfinder, his thumb brushing over the green glass. A final tear rolled down his cheek.

“He's wrong,” he whispered as he held the glass memento against his chest. “There must be a way. There’s _always_ a way.”

 

 

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep' was a huge inspiration for this story, I hold that game very close to my heart and I totally recommend playing it.  
> But I do want to thank you so much for reading this! Please feel free to leave comments and your thoughts on the story!
> 
> Thank you once again,  
> -Luna


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